The Reiraku That Binds Us
by Ruby Dragon Angel
Summary: Three years after the Winter War, Hitsugaya finds himself back in the real world, this time on a mission to find the source of a powerful reiatsu that keeps popping up, but disappearing before they can locate it. HitsugayaXOC Rating for later chapters.
1. Prologue: Arrival

Prologue: Arrival

Karakura Town hadn't changed much since the Winter War against Aizen and the Arrancar. Not that it mattered to him anyway. He was here on a mission and the sooner he completed it, the better. He stood on the top of a telephone pole, the town shrouded in the darkness of night below and around him, dotted with a few lights from late night dwellers, who have yet to gone to bed, or from stores that stayed open for most of the night. Sighing, he took out his Shinigami Cellular Phone and contacted Soul Society.

"This is 10th Division Captain, Toushirou Hitsugaya," he said softly. "I'm in."

**.:x:.**

"You summoned me, Captain-Commander?"

"Yes, Captain Hitsugaya," the old Shinigami said, looking up from what he was reading on his desk. "Come in."

The young 10th Division Captain closed the door behind him and walked up to stand before the desk of Genryuusai Yamamoto, Captain of the First Division and the Captain-Commander of Soul Society. He made a formal bow before straightening and waited for Yamamoto to speak.

"You are wondering why I summoned you, Captain Hitsugaya."

"Yes," Toushirou replied.

The old Shinigami nodded before standing and walking towards one of the large windows of his office. "A report was brought to me," he said, "telling me of a powerful reiatsu located somewhere in Karakura Town. It has only been sensed a few times and in periods so short that before it can be tracked, it vanishes." The Captain-Commander turned and looked at Toushirou. "I want you, Captain Hitsugaya, to go into the real world and find this reiatsu and retain it, or destroy it, if possible. We cannot have a reiatsu that powerful in the real world. I cannot believe it to be a human's, so it could be anything from a Hollow to an Arrancar that escaped death during the war. Also, we know that there is a chance that a follower of Aizen is still out there, and we don't what this spirit power to fall into their hands."

Toushirou nodded and said, "Understood, but one question Captain-Commander."

"Go ahead."

"Why send me?" he asked. "There are plenty of others capable of the mission, so why are you sending me?"

"You know Karakura Town the best out of anyone in Soul Society, besides perhaps Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki, who are both in the real world now anyway. I felt that if anyone could find the powerful reiatsu quickly enough, it would be you."

Toushirou looked at the Captain-Commander and nodded. "Alright," he said, "I'll go."

"Then you are dismissed."

**.:x:.**

"Captain?"

Toushirou looked around to see Rangiku Matsumoto standing on a rooftop not far away. "Matsumoto," he said, acknowledging her with a nod.

"Can you sense anything?" his lieutenant asked.

Toushirou shook his head and said, "No, not yet. I guess we'll have to give it time until we feel it flare up."

"Hmm… wonder how long that will be…"

"Who knows?" Toushirou said, sighing. He jumped down from his perch to land on the ground below, Rangiku landing beside him. He'd grown a little taller in the three years since the Winter War, but his busty lieutenant was still a head taller than him. "We'll head for Urahara's shop, and get our gigais, and then we'll go from there."

"Right," Rangiku said, nodding. Then the two Shinigami shunpoed in the direction of the shop.


	2. Chapter 1: Run In

Chapter One: Run In

The two Shinigamis of the 10th Division arrived at Urahara's Shop to find Renji Abarai already there, arguing with the red-headed kid that stayed with Kisuke Urahara.

"I'm telling you," the red head, Jinta Hanakari, yelled, pointing up at Renji. "There will be no freeloading from you this time!"

"I've told you, you little shit!" Renji hollered back. "I did _not_ freeload the last time I was here! I was fighting Arrancar when I wasn't training downstairs!"

"Yeah, well…"

"That's enough," Toushirou said loudly, causing the two in front of him to silent instantly. "I'm getting a headache… and I expected better from you, Abarai. Arguing with a kid…?"

"Captain Hitsugaya…" Renji stammered before he was interrupted by Urahara walking in from the back.

"What's all the ruckus?" the shop owner asked.

"Don't worry about it," Toushirou muttered as Rangiku giggled quietly behind him. "We're here for our gigais."

"Ah yes, I was informed of your mission," Urahara said, beckoning them towards the back. Toushirou followed Urahara with Rangiku and Renji behind him. "I was also informed that you will be housing with the Kurosakis during your stay in the real world, is that correct?"

"Yes," Toushirou said, nodding. "It's already been settled with Isshin Kurosaki that we will stay there during the mission and that all reports will be given there to the Captain-Commander."

"Excellent!" Urahara exclaimed, giving one of those goofy grins. Toushirou just grunted. "So, I'll just get you gigais and you can be on your way. The three of you should be all set to go to school with Ichigo and his friends tomorrow morning."

**.:x:.**

"GOOOODD MOORRNNIIIINNNGGGGG, IIICCCHHHHGOOOOO!"

_**CRASH!**_

"DAMN YOU, OLD MAN! LAY OFF! IT'S FIVE IN THE MORNING!"

Toushirou groaned from where he sat on the rooftop of the Kurosaki home. Already, Isshin Kurosaki was attacking Ichigo Kurosaki and he could hear the fight going on from where he was and could even feel the house shake as Ichigo threw the former Soul Society captain down the stairs. He punched a few more buttons on his Shinigami Cellular Phone before snapping it shut and looking out over the rooftops of the town. The horizon was lightening up with gold and red, signaling the upcoming dawn. He could feel the reiatsus of Ichigo's friends spread out over the town and smaller reiatsus of other people who were spirit sensitive, but no sign of the high reiatsu that had been reported. Toushirou sighed and he propped his chin in his hand. This wasn't going to be as quick as he thought it was going to be.

Suddenly he sensed a very large reiatsu flare up somewhere in Karakura Town, coming from his right. He whipped his head around in that direction and sprang to his feet. Jest as he was about to reach in his pocket where he kept the soul candy, the reiatsu vanished as if it never were. He frowned slightly, now understanding what the report meant.

"Did you feel that, Captain?"

"Yeah," Toushirou said without looking back at Rangiku, still staring in the direction the reiatsu came from. "It was only for a moment, but it was enough."

"It's powerful…"

Toushirou nodded and looked back at Rangiku. "Powerful enough to be dangerous," he said. "When we find the source, we have to be careful and either find a way to retain it, or destroy it."

"But what if it's human?"

Toushirou shrugged and said, "Who knows? I doubt it though. No human can have a reiatsu that powerful. It was more than Kurosaki's."

"But," Rangiku said softly, "it didn't feel like a Hollow or an Arrancar…"

Toushirou turned and looked back in the direction the reiatsu came from, hoping that it would flare up again. But it didn't… yes, this was going to take much longer than he'd hoped.

**.:x:.**

"TOUSHIROU!! YOU ARE BACK!!"

Sighing, the white haired Shinigami held up a hand to stop Keigo Asano, who was barreling towards him. The human's face collided with the Shinigami's palm and came to a dead halt. "Annoying as ever," Toushirou sighed, looking over at Ichigo. "Why do you keep such people around?"

The orange haired Shinigami sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I ask myself that every day…"

"Ichigo!" Keigo wailed, scrambling back from Toushirou, a red mark shaped as the white haired boy's hand on his face. "Why are all your Shinigami friends so mean?" Then he spotted Rangiku and let out a squeal that made Toushirou wince. "RANGIKU-SAN! YOU CAME BACK T-"

_**CRACK**_

"I think he's become more perverted than Kon," Rangiku muttered wearily, rubbing her fist after it had just connected to Keigo's face, who was now out cold on the floor.

"It's probably close…" Rukia Kuchiki said.

"Should we just leave him there?" Renji asked, nudging Keigo with his toe.

"Don't worry," Mizuiro Kojima said, walking over and grabbing a hold of Keigo's wrists. "I'll deal with him. Just tell the teacher that I had to take Asano to the nurse's office." Then he dragged Keigo down the hall towards the said office.

"Well," Ichigo said, "now that that is over and done with, should we head to class?"

"Might as well," Toushirou said, walking forward again. The small group of Shinigamis continued down the hall, heading towards the classroom. The last time Toushirou had been in the real world, he acted as a high school transfer student in the first year. Now he was doing the same again, only this time he was a high school transfer student in the final year with Ichigo and Rukia, even though some of the students believed he was an underclassmen because of his height, which irked him. He'd grown a little over a foot: from 4'4" to 5'5". Despite his rank, he was still the shortest, but he was taller than Rukia now. _Still the Shorty..._ he fumed to himself.

He didn't notice the girl hurrying down the hall towards them until her shoulder bumped his, jarring him from his thoughts. He caught a glimpse of the girl as she went by: golden blonde hair that fell a bit past her elbows and violet eyes. The girl looked over her shoulder at him and said a quick, "S-sorry!" before continuing down the hall. Toushirou had stopped and now looked down the hall, watching the girl as she turned a corner down the hall. She had brushed by so close that he'd been able to smell her scent; a slightly spicy exotic smell laced with a hint of vanilla and a wisp of lavender. Even now it filled his mind along with a tingly sensation that came from his very soul. _What the..._

"Huh?" Renji said, frowning. "Why is she in such a hurry?"

"Are you alright, Captain?" Rangiku asked Toushirou, keeping her voice low. "I saw that she ran into you."

"I'm fine, it's nothing," he replied, shaking his head. He ignored the feeling that still vibrated through him and continued onward. "Where's the classroom, Kurosaki?"

"Should be right here… yeah, here we go." The five of them walked into the classroom where they were greeted by Orihime Inoue, Uryuu Ishida, and Yasutora (Chad) Sado. Orihime was ecstatic to see Rangiku and the two of them, along with Rukia, began chatting away about getting together sometime to go shopping. Uryuu just gave a nod to Renji, Toushirou and Ichigo before returning to his reading and Chad gave his usual grunt of a hello. Toushirou slid into a desk behind Ichigo next to the window and proceeded to gaze out through the glass, chin propped up on one hand. No Hollow activity and no strong reiatsu. Toushirou was bored. The bell sounded and the rest of the students filed in and took their seats as the teacher walked in. After he, Rangiku and Renji were introduced as the new "transfer students", the class began and the teacher began to write on the board at the front. Toushirou continued to look out the window, silently musing to himself until the teacher interrupted his lecture by say, "Ah, Miss Amaterasu, so nice of you to show up."

Toushirou looked up and blinked, recognizing the girl who'd ran into him in the hall. The girl nervously tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she made a quick bow. "I'm sorry," she said. "I received a phone call and had to take it." The girl then handed the teacher a yellow slip before walking to and sitting at the empty desk behind Toushirou. He could hear her shuffling around and took a quick look behind him with one eye to see her taking out books and folders from her bag. She looked up at him and blinked, recognition flaring in her eyes, before she gave him a small smile. Toushirou returned it with a nod before turning back to the front.

For the rest of the lecture, Toushirou was quite aware of the young woman behind him. Although he didn't look back at her again, he knew that her head hung over her notebook as she scribbled the notes down, her hair falling around her shoulders. He didn't understand why he was unconsciously interested in this girl; she was just another normal human girl. When the bell rang, signaling the lunch period, Toushirou quickly stood and headed out of the classroom, hearing Ichigo calling out to him behind him. He made his way to the roof and stood near the edge, pulling out his phone. Looking at the screen, he scowled, waiting for a Hollow, an Arrancar, _anything_, to pop up so he could leave to take it out.

"Umm… excuse me?"

Toushirou nearly jumped out of his gigai. How could he allow someone to come up behind him like that without him knowing? He turned around and came face to face with the girl. "What?" he said, knowing that he was rather cold in saying it.

"I just want to apologize for this morning," she said, tilting her head slightly. "I was in a slight hurry and wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

Toushirou shrugged and, turning back around, he said, "No matter…"

He heard the girl sigh and then she said, "I apologize and that's the response I get?"

He blinked at the sudden harshness in her voice and looked around, snapping his phone shut. She was looking at him, a hand on her left hip and she leaned on that leg slightly, her violet eyes boring into his. He frowned and said, "There is nothing to apologize for. I said that it didn't matter."

The girl opened her mouth to retort something, but then a voice from the door said, "Yuna! What are you doing up here? Come on, let's go!"

Toushirou looked up to see a girl with short black hair waiting at the door, her foot tapping slightly. The girl, Yuna, looked at Toushirou and sighed wearily. "See you around," she said before turning and hurrying to the waiting girl. Both left, leaving Toushirou on the roof alone.

Or so he thought…

"Oh, Captain, who was that?"

Toushirou spun around to see Rangiku standing on the edge of the roof, hands held out in front of her. "Go away, Matsumoto…" he replied, walking towards the door to head back down.

His lieutenant however, followed him. "You like her," she said, her voice too sweet for his liking. "You like a human girl."

"Shut up, I don't even know her…"

"But I saw your face and I felt your reiatsu go up slightly with lu-"

"Say it, and I will make you do paperwork for a year when we get back to Soul Society."

That shut Rangiku up, but Toushirou knew that she was going to talk to Rukia and Orihime about it. He seethed slightly as he walked back towards the classroom, not because of Rangiku, well part of it was, but because although what he was feeling wasn't (he refused to believe it was) lust, it was definitely something. _Who is that girl?_


	3. Chapter 2: Yuna

Chapter Two: Yuna

"You felt the reiatsu early this morning?" Urahara asked, looking at the Shinigamis from under the brim of his hat.

"Of course," Renji growled. "Anyone who is spirit sensitive would have felt that. It was stronger than Ichigo's reiatsu."

"I never felt anything like that before," Ichigo said, running a hand through his hair.

"We have to find the source of the reiatsu and deal with it," Toushirou said. "We need to think up a plan."

"Yeah," Renji said. "Any ideas, Ichigo?"

"Hey, why are you asking me? Who said that I had to think up the plan?"

"You live here…"

"That don't mean anything, idiot!"

"You're the idiot, for not looking into this before hand! We could be avoiding all of this trouble of thinking of a plan right now!"

Toushirou sighed and stood up, walking to the front of the store. This was getting no where and he knew that those two will be going at it for an hour or so. He sat down on the raised floor in front of the doors that led to the back and pulled his phone out. No contact from Soul Society and no Hollow alerts. Sighing he snapped his phone shut as Urahara stepped out, his opening of the door allowing Toushirou to hear Ichigo and Renji still arguing. The shop owner slid the door close and walked to the edge of the platform. "What do you think, Captain Hitsugaya?" he asked, his voice serious.

Toushirou frowned and said, "I think this is going to be difficult. What ever is the source of this reiatsu is strong enough to wipe us all out."

Urahara nodded and then his expression changed from serious to goofy joy and he exclaimed, "Ah, customers!"

"Whatever…" Toushirou muttered, pulling out his phone again and turned his body so his back leaned against the wall. As he hit a few buttons on the phone, he heard the front door slide open and a little girl's voice talking quietly.

"How can I help you ladies this afternoon," Urahara said in a cheerful voice.

"Yuna, can I buy whatever I want?" the little girl's voice said, loud enough this time so Toushirou could hear her.

"Go ahead, Marlene," a _very_ familiar voice said, causing Toushirou's head to shoot up. Sure enough, the same girl from the school, Yuna, was at the front of the store, kneeling in front of a girl around five years old. The little girl had long light brown hair tied in a long braid with a pink bow on the top of it and she wore a gray and white dress with brown shoes. He watched as the little girl laughed in delight, threw her arms around the older girl in a hug, and then ran to look at the shelves of candy. Smiling, Yuna stood and smoothed out the skirt of her school uniform. Her eyes then fell on Toushirou and he saw her blink in surprise. Toushirou quickly looked away, but all his concentration on what he'd been doing before was gone.

Suddenly, his phone began to beep, signaling that a Hollow was nearby. _Finally!_ Toushirou thought as he looked on the phone's screen and saw the red blip that showed the Hollow's location. Snapping it shut, Toushirou stood and looked over at Urahara. "I'm heading out," was all he said, but he knew that the ex-Shinigami understood. Urahara nodded and Toushirou walked out the front door, passing Yuna as he did. He could feel the girl watching him as he walked to the street.

As soon as he was out of sight of the shop, Toushirou pulled out the Soul Candy dispenser and popped one of the tiny green balls into his mouth. He burst out of his gigai as soon as he swallowed the candy in his Shinigami form. Turning to look at his gigai that was now inhabited by another soul until he was ready to return to it, he said, "Stay out of trouble." Then he shunpoed in the direction of the Hollow.

**.:x:.**

Yuna walked down the sidewalk with Marlene beside her. The little girl held on to one of her hands with one hand while holding a lollipop in the other. She skipped alongside Yuna, humming happily. The two of them were heading home, Yuna picking up Marlene from school before taking her to the candy shop. They'd gone there a few times before, so they knew the shop owner somewhat and Kisuke Urahara was always happy to see the two of them, especially Marlene who Yuna knew that he adored.

What she hadn't expected was to see that white haired boy, the transfer student… Hitsugaya was it? She didn't know that he knew Urahara well enough to hang out at the store. Didn't he just move here? He didn't seem like someone who would make friends or meet new people quickly. He actually seemed rather cold and distant. Yuna sighed and shook her head. What really confused her was that strange feeling she felt every time she saw him.

Ever since she accidentally bumped into him in the hallway, she would get a weird feeling deep inside of her every time she looked at him. Something inside of her screamed that he wasn't normal. There was something about him that just didn't seem right.

Suddenly she heard a loud roaring scream from behind her. She stopped and looked behind her, the wind picking up as she did. She could sense something coming; something big. She knew what it was too…

"Yuna?" Marlene asked, and the older girl looked down at the five year old. She looked up at Yuna with a questioning look in her green eyes.

Yuna smiled and said, "Come on, Marlene, let's get home." She then took a tighter hold of the little girl's hand and led her onward. She could feel it coming, could hear it roaring. Beside her, Marlene kept looking behind them, her eyes widening slightly, now understanding what they were running from. Suddenly the ground shook and Marlene screamed as the source of the roar crashed down in front of them, trapping them between it and a wall. Yuna held Marlene close to her and faced the monster, the creature that was called a Hollow. She stared up at the creature as it grinned wickedly.

"Two humans at once," the Hollow said in an evil voice, "and pretty girls at that."

Marlene hid behind Yuna as the older girl stood facing the Hollow. She crouched slightly, raising a fist to strike it so she and Marlene could run, when a blur of white came from above her. Her eyes widened when the figure came into focus, revealing a person dressed in a black kimono and pants with a white sleeveless haori over it. He held a long katana in his hand and he had messy white hair. _Waitagoshdarnminute!? White hair!? It can't be..._

The person landed in front of them, back to them. Above, the Hollow cackled, "A Shinigami as well?" The monster raised a fist and, as he brought it down to crush the three of them, he crowed, "This is my lucky day!"

Yuna held Marlene close to her as the little girl screamed and closed her eyes, waiting for the blow. But nothing came, but she felt a cold breeze seem to pick up, brushing her hair away from her face and lifting goosebumps onto her skin. She opened her eyes and gasped at what she saw.

The young man in front of her held his sword up, holding back the Hollow's fist. The Hollow also seemed shocked that someone was holding him back. Then the young man spoke:

"Souten ni Zase (Sit upon the frozen heavens)," he said in the familiar voice, ridding all of Yuna's doubts of who this person was, "Hyourinmaru!"

The air became much colder and dark clouds swirled to cover the sky. The fist that he was holding back turned to ice, as well as the entire arm and then the entire arm broke as the ice shattered, leaving the monster with one less arm. The Hollow screamed as he stumbled back and the young man jumped high, swinging his sword. As he did, a dragon formed by ice and water was released from the blade and it soared at the Hollow. The Hollow swung a fist at the dragon, but the icy creature dodged the attack and took off the other arm. The young man landed back on the ground as the Hollow roared again. It opened his mouth and Yuna watched as an orb of red light began to form in its mouth. "Cero…" she whispered softly.

"Too slow!" the young man yelled before he seemed to disappear, only to reappear high in the air in front of the Hollow. Before the monster could unleash his attack, he was cut into two by the man's sword. The Hollow let out a final roar as he was covered in ice before shattering. As tiny pieces of ice rained down, the clouds parted, revealing the sunny, cloudless day once more. The young man landed lightly on his feet back to the ground and sheathed his sword. Yuna looked at him and straightened, still holding Marlene close to her. He glanced back at her for a moment, revealing half of his face to her, before he disappeared in a blur motion so quick that she couldn't track him.

"Yuna," Marlene asked softly, "who was that?"

"I don't know who that was…" she replied. _Who are you? _What_ are you?_

**.:x:.**

_Shinigami... that's what the Hollow called him... I thought Shinigamis were nothing but a story. Then again, so were Hollows at one time._

Yuna sighed as she rolled over, trying to fall asleep but unable to because she knew that she would be going to school the next morning and see _him_. The new transfer student who just saved her butt from a really powerful Hollow. She was sure that that had been him; no one else she knew of had white hair like that.

There was too much going through her head for sleep. Growling under her breath, she shoved her head under one of her pillows, trying to block the buzzing in her head. But it only seemed to make it louder. Letting out a curse, she sat up and threw the pillow at the opposite wall. It hit the wall with a dull _phfump_ sound before dropping to the floor. She sighed again and raked her fingers through her blonde hair. _Looks like I'm gonna be taking some naps in class tomorrow..._

Suddenly, she sensed a spirit aura, a reiatsu, in her room and she swore that the temperature dropped a degree or two. She lifted her head up…

…just as a figure came through her window and stepped lightly onto the floor, hardly making a sound. The moonlight caused the figure's hair to glow a soft silver and even though Yuna knew who this was, it didn't stop her from reacting unconsciously. She reached over to her bed stand, grabbed her alarm clock and hurtled it at the intruder. It struck him with a ringing clang, followed by a string of curses. Yuna jumped out of bed silently and flipped up the light switch. "Who the hell do you think you are, sneaking into my room at _this_ time of night?" she hissed silently, careful not to wake anyone.

Just as she thought, the transfer student, she-couldn't-think-of-his-first-name Hitsugaya, looked up at her from where he collapsed onto the floor after being unexpectedly struck in the head with an alarm clock. He pushed himself to his feet and, instead of answering her question, he said, "I'm impressed that you can see me, especially with the size of your reiatsu."

Yuna placed her hands on her hips and said, "Well, duh, of course I can see you. I saw you at school, didn't I?"

"No one is able to see me in this form…"

Yuna blinked and then she said, "So you really are a Shinigami…"

Hitsugaya blinked in slight surprise. "What do you know of Shinigami?"

"Only that they are suppose to be a myth… guess not, huh?"

"No…"

Yuna sighed and walked over to pick up her alarm clock. "You didn't answer my first question," she said, looking at him. "Why are you here, in my room?"

"I wanted to know who you are," he replied, shrugging. "I want to know how a normal girl like you was able to see a Menos, as well as a Shinigami."

"I don't know… I've been able to hear and see Hollows for a while. Usually I punch them in the head if they corner me or get too close, and it distracts them long enough so I…"

"You _punch_ them!?" Hitsugaya exclaimed incredulously. "You cause them injury!?"

Yuna blinked at his surprised expression, the first actual expression she'd seen from him. "I don't do the damage to them that you did this afternoon," she said. "It's more like a painful bug bite, I guess. I don't know, usually I'm running off so it doesn't eat me. But today… that one was huge. What did you call it again?"

"Menos," he said. "They're a stronger form of Hollow. I don't know why it was in the real world, since they hardly come into it…"

"How are people able to see you at school?" Yuna asked, frowning. "Didn't you just say that no one can see you 'cause you're a Shinigami?"

"I use a gigai when I'm in the real world to move around. I take my Shinigami form when I have to."

"Gigai…?"

"You would see it as a body."

"Oh… that sounds a little… umm… eww…"

Hitsugaya snorted and he turned back to the window. She watched as he stepped onto the windowsill and he looked back at her. "Normally, I would erase the memories of a human that's seen one of us or have been involved with a Hollow attack, but I'm not going to do that…" he then said, seeing the look of horror Yuna gave him. "For one, I have a feeling that it won't work on you and two, perhaps you could be of some use."

"What do you mean?" Yuna asked. "And don't put it like I'm some sorta tool, either!"

Hitsugaya grunted in amusement and then said, "I'll explain it all tomorrow at school. Meet me on the roof at lunch period, like you did today."

Yuna nodded and then she asked, "What's your name?"

"Toushirou Hitsugaya," he replied.

"I'm Yuna Amaterasu, pleased to meet you Toushirou."

Toushirou gave her a nod and then he was gone. Yuna sighed and then, shutting off the light, crawled back into bed. New questions were spinning in her head now, but somehow she was able to fall asleep.


	4. Chapter 3: Goo goo Eyeing

Chapter Three: Goo-goo Eyeing

"How much does she know?"

"More than I thought she would," Toushirou replied, glancing over at Ichigo as the two of them walked down the hall of the school. "She knows about Shinigami and has dealt with Hollows. She can also sense spirit pressures, especially those of Hollows, so I thought that she could possibly help us in looking for that powerful one. The more people we have looking, the easier it'll be in locating it."

"Maybe," Ichigo said, rubbing the back of his head in thought. "We'll have to see, but having more people might make it easier in locating that reiatsu." Then Ichigo looked at Toushirou and raised his eyebrows with a small smirk. "Is that the only reason why you didn't erase her memory?"

"What's that suppose to mean?" Toushirou asked, glaring up at Ichigo.

Ichigo just shrugged and said, "Ah, nothing…"

"Kurosaki, if you're taking this somewhere…"

"Captain!" Rangiku exclaimed, coming up from behind them and tackling Toushirou from behind, almost causing him to fall forward. "So who's the new girl you're going all goo-goo eyed over?"

"There's no goo-goo eyeing!" Toushirou exclaimed, shoving Rangiku off. "She's just a human girl, nothing more!"

"Oh Captain, you're so cute!" Rangiku said giddily, clapping her hands and hopping up and down. "Denying that you like a human girl! The captain has a crush!"

"'Bout time you started looking," Ichigo said, as Toushirou's ears started to become red with what they thought was embarrassment, but was actually anger. "For a while now, I thought that you didn't even have an interest in wo-"

Before Toushirou could say anything to shut up the substitute Shinigami and his lieutenant, Rukia came up behind the two of them and, despite her height compared to theirs, she reached up and cracked their heads together. Both clutched at their heads, moaning as Rukia said, "Shut up the both of you."

"Thank you, Kuchiki," Toushirou said as he turned and walked to class. Rukia nodded as she walked alongside him, both of them leaving Ichigo and Rangiku behind with aching heads.

When they walked into the classroom, the first thing Toushirou noticed was Yuna sitting on one of the windowsills, talking with her friends. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail with a few thin blue beaded braids hanging from it. She glanced over at him for a moment and their eyes met for a few seconds. Toushirou paused in his steps, looking at her. At first he thought that she would approach him and start questioning him about last night, but instead she gave him a small brief smile before turning back to her friends' conversation. Toushirou let out a small sigh of relief before joining the others near one of the other windows. He dropped his bag on his desk as he sat down in the seat. He gave Rangiku a look as the busty woman sat on the edge of his desk but he didn't say anything. Ichigo leaned against the windowsill beside Renji and Chad, Rukia and Orihime stood near Toushirou's desk and Ishida sat at his desk next to Toushirou. "Did you find out anything last night?" Toushirou asked, looking at Renji.

"No, nothing," Renji said, shaking his head. "It's like the reiatsu doesn't exist."

Ichigo sighed and rubbed his forehead. "We've fought Arrancar, Aizen and his army, Bounto… how come we can't find a source of a reiatsu?"

"Maybe because whatever it is," Ishida said, pushing up his glasses, "has a way of hiding it so even the strongest Shinigami cannot find them."

"Which could make them a potential danger to us, Soul Society and the real world," Toushirou said, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. "That's why I decided to get us some more help; the more the better."

"Huh?" Orihime asked, tilting her head slightly. "What do you mean, Toushirou?"

"You will see at lunch break. Everyone meet up on the roof then." At that moment, the teacher walked in and everyone went to their seat. Toushirou settled into his seat and began rummaging through his bag, looking for his school stuff. He sensed someone sit behind him and knew that it was Yuna. The girl said nothing to him and he didn't turn around to look at her.

She didn't speak to him at all during class. From time to time he would hear her voice when she answered a question and every time he did, that tingle inside of him acted up. If he didn't know any better, he would think that that tingle came from somewhere in his soul.

Suddenly the roar of a Hollow sounded outside. He looked out the window and saw the monster moving around in the field, making its way towards the school where it probably sensed the reiatsus of Shinigamis and humans with high spiritual power. From the corner of his eye, he saw Yuna glancing out the window as well, chewing on the end of her cap. All of those who could see the Hollow, mainly the Shinigamis, Ichigo and his friends, kept glancing out the window, watching the Hollow approach.

Before Toushirou could do anything, Ichigo raised his hand and said, "Sorry, but I need to see the nurse."

"And I need to use the bathroom," Rukia said after him, also raising her hand.

The teacher blinked at the both of them, but she nodded and let them go. Both Ichigo and Rukia took off and a few moments later, Toushirou looked out the window to see the two of them in their Shinigami forms, fighting the Hollow. In a few moments, Ichigo sliced the Hollow in two and ten minutes after they left, Rukia came back, followed by Ichigo with a band-aid on his arm. "Needed an excuse to see the nurse," Ichigo whispered to Toushirou as he sat back down in his seat in front of him.

Toushirou shook his head, but he had to hand it to him; they definitely had it down when it came to taking out Hollows while in school. Finally the bell sounded, indicating that it was the lunch break. He stood up and with the others walking with him, he headed up to the roof. As he left, he heard Yuna say to her friends that she had to go somewhere during the lunch break and that she'd meet up with them later. They got up to the roof and with Ichigo yelling at a few underclassmen to beat it, they were alone, able to talk freely without having to worry about anyone else overhearing.

"So what is your plan, Toushirou?" Orihime asked as she pulled out her lunch consisting of a peanut butter and dill chip sandwich.

"Wait a minute…" Toushirou replied, looking towards the door. He was beginning to wonder if she was going to come at all, or that she decided that she didn't want to deal with Shinigami or Hollows. Then the door opened and she walked out, her lunch in a paper bag in hand. She blinked at the sight of them and asked, "Are you all Shinigami?"

"No," Ichigo said. "All Shinigami raise your hands." He, Rukia, Rangiku, Renji and Toushirou raised their hands. "The others just have their own powers, except Ishida is a Quincy."

"Oh," Yuna said, sitting down next to Toushirou. She tossed her ponytail and braids from where they had fallen over her shoulder before she started to take out her lunch.

"So, you're plan Captain Hitsugaya?" Renji asked.

Yuna looked at Toushirou and asked, "'Captain'?"

"I'm Captain of the Tenth Division of the Gotei 13," Toushirou said as he leaned back against the wall, folding his arms. Then he proceeded to explain to Yuna about the Gotei 13 and Soul Society as briefly as he could, but enough so that she would know what it was about. Surprisingly, she understood everything he told her and asked only a couple questions.

"So, you said you could 'use' me," Yuna said once Toushirou finished his explanation. "What did you mean?"

"The Captain–Commander sent us here to look for a strong reiatsu that could possibly be a danger to this world and Soul Society," Toushirou told her. "You can sense reiatsus, so you could help us."

Yuna frowned and said, "Why would you need me? Couldn't you find it easily?"

"We sense it, sure," Rangiku said, shrugging. "But before we can head towards it and find the source, it vanishes."

"So I thought that the more people we have looking for it, the better, and we'll be able to locate it," Toushirou said.

"What will you do once you find it?" Yuna asked.

"We either find a way to remove the reiatsu and retain it…"

"But I thought that's impossible?" Yuna said. Everyone looked at her curiously and she grimaced slightly. "I know a little bit more than most normal people."

Toushirou frowned but didn't ask. "But we may have to destroy the source itself," he finished.

Yuna nodded and took a sip out of her water bottle. "So, when do we start?" she asked.

"You should probably meet Urahara first," Rukia said, looking over at Toushirou, who nodded in agreement.

"The candy shop owner Urahara?" Yuna said, her eyes widening slightly.

"Yeah," Ichigo said with a slight smirk on his face. "Let's just say that that is our rendezvous point and training area."

Yuna seemed to be taking it all in well, Toushirou could help but think. She didn't seem shocked that the world she knew had secrets that were believed to be nothing more than stories. _But she said she'd been dealing with Hollows for a while, so I guess none of this would have come to a shock to her._ He watched as she conversed with the others, talking about various things from stuff about Soul Society and their past battles to the basic chit-chat. She seemed to settle with them easily and he couldn't sense any unease from her.

_Come to think of it,_ he suddenly thought with a frown. _I can't seem to sense _anything_ from her. Even her reiatsu is so faint that one wouldn't think that she was able to see spirits. It's like she's completely blocked off..._ Toushirou stored his thoughts in another part of his mind to go through later as the bell sounded. He watched her as she stood in a fluid movement as she continued to talk with Rukia, her hair being pulled back revealing the smooth curves of her neck that wasn't hidden by the collar of her school uniform top. He couldn't help but look her over. She had long, muscle-toned legs and the rest of her body was toned with muscle that shifted under her smooth lightly tanned skin. Her golden blonde hair was smooth and glossy and seemed to glint like fire in the sunlight. Her eyes, a violet almost the same shade as amethysts, were soft but held a fierce fire to them as well. He felt the stirring sensation inside of him again, more so when he heard her laugh.

"See… you are goo-goo eyeing her, Captain," Rangiku said softly beside him.

Toushirou jumped slightly, not even realizing that his lieutenant had been there, and then shot her his signature glare. "I'm not…"

"Yay, the Captain likes a girl from the real world!" Rangiku said happily.

"That's not it…"

"It's okay to admit it. You don't have to be shy…"

"Shut up, that's enough!"

"Hey, is everything alright?"

Toushirou blinked and looked around to see Yuna looking at him and Rangiku. He felt his face tinge with red as Rangiku giggled beside him. _She's going to regret this when we get back._ "It's nothing," he told her. He then looked at the others and said, "Let's head back. We'll meet at Urahara's afterwards." He then turned and headed back into the school building. _Goo-goo eyeing... whatever..._

**.:x:.**

"Yuna, that new transfer student has been looking at you all through class."

"Huh?" Yuna asked as she straightened from re-tying her shoelace. They were all outside for gym class and Yuna was acting casual, even though her insides were turning from all the information she'd gained during lunch. _Shinigami... Hollows... Soul Society... so much to take in such a short period of time. I knew that Hollows existed, but I never thought that Shinigami and Soul Society did as well. Sure, I had suspicions, but still..._ Even though all the people she met with at lunch today were in her class, she acted as if she didn't know them and instead hung out with her three friends like she always did. But it didn't allow her mind to stay focused. So when Ayumi spoke to her, she was jarred from her whirlwind of thoughts of what had occurred during lunch period that day.

"The transfer student," Ayumi repeated. "The bleach-haired one. He's been looking at you off and on all through class."

"Oh, you mean Toushirou," Yuna asked, but then she mentally face-palmed herself. _Stupid... I'm supposed to act like I don't know them._

"You know him?" Kaia asked, her eyes widening.

_Shoot..._ "Uhh… yeah," Yuna said, thinking of a recovery story. "I… met him yesterday, when I brought Marlene to that candy shop… Urahara's. He was there, and I had accidentally run into him in the hallway at school, so I apologized to him."

"So it was him that I saw you with up on the rooftop yesterday," Ayumi said, looking at her.

"Yeah… I was trying to apologize to him then, but you interrupted me."

"Oh… sorry."

"So is he who you met with for lunch today?" Rinoa asked.

"Eh…?"

"Oh come on!" Rinoa said, laughing. "I knew you didn't have things to do. Admit it, he asked you to meet him at lunch and you agreed."

"Uh… yeah," Yuna said, chuckling slightly. "That's right, he did ask me… sorry for not saying anything to you guys, it's just…"

"That's fine," Rinoa said, but Ayumi shook her head.

"Yuna! You should have said something! Besides, why would you go to lunch with a boy you hardly know, let alone someone who bleaches his hair like that?"

"Actually, I think it's natural…" Yuna began, but Kaia cut him off.

"It doesn't matter, besides, have you seen him, really? He's all cold and mean-looking. A guy like that couldn't be good for you."

"Oh, lay off you two," Rinoa said, placing her hands on her hips. "You sound like a bunch of mother hens. Yuna knows what she's doing, she's a big girl."

Yuna felt herself redden slightly and said, "Rinoa, why must you put it in terms like that?" But she couldn't help but feel relieved for her to end the other two's interrogation. Out of her three girlfriends, Rinoa was her closest one. It was to her that Yuna could confide to and know that not a word she said would leave between the two of them.

Ayumi and Kaia didn't interrogate her anymore for the rest of class. But she knew what they were talking about when she spotted Toushirou glancing in her direction towards the end of the class. Finally the school day was over and Yuna walked out of the building with Rinoa, Ayumi and Kaia. She planned on walking home with them, since she didn't have to pick up Marlene from school today, until she heard the familiar, deep and somewhat stoic voice behind her say, "Yuna." She looked around and saw Toushirou leaning against one of the trees that were in front of the building, his arms folded over his chest. He pushed off of the tree with one foot and walked up to her. He stood only two or so inches taller than her, so she didn't have to look up at him too much. "Will you allow me to walk you home?"

"Umm… sure," Yuna said, nodding. Behind her, Ayumi and Kaia began to protest, but Rinoa grabbed both girls and dragged them away, telling Yuna that she would see her tomorrow. Then it was just her and Toushirou standing there.

"Come on," Toushirou said, starting to walk.

Not wanting to be left behind, Yuna quickened her step so she would walk beside him. She looked around, wondering if the others were going to show, before asking, "Where are the others?"

"I told them to go on ahead, and Kurosaki and Abarai are on patrol so they will meet up with us later," Toushirou replied without looking over at her.

Yuna nodded and then she glanced around, hoping that her walk from school wouldn't be a repeat of yesterday's walk with Marlene. But who knows, this was Karakura Town. She heard a beeping beside her and she looked around to see Toushirou with his phone out, just like when she saw him on the roof yesterday. "Why are you always playing with that?" she asked.

"I'm not 'playing'," he replied as his punched a few buttons. "This is a Shinigami Cellular Phone. It's a radar for Hollows and it allows me to track them and I receive orders from this as well. I can also send reports to the Captain-Commander with this as well."

Yuna just shrugged and said, "It's just I always see you with it."

"I'm a Captain," he said. "I have my duties."

"Are you always so uptight?"

"What?" he asked, snapping his phone shut and looking at her.

Yuna stopped and crossed her arms. Toushirou stopped as well and turned to look at her, his deep sea-blue eyes fixed onto her violet ones. Although he stared at her with eyes cold as ice, she didn't back down. "Why are you so cold, for someone your age? You would think that you were an adult, even though you look not a year older than me."

"Don't let my looks deceive you," he said, his voice as cold as his eyes. Yuna swore she felt the temperature drop, like it did when he entered her room last night, except to the point where it raised goose-bumps on her arm. "I am over ten times older than you are. I have my duties as captain, and I see to it that I follow through with them. I don't have time to fool around."

Yuna sighed and said, "You sound like you didn't have a childhood…"

"I was an orphan," he replied, "so you could say that I didn't, seeing as I had to look after myself."

Yuna then matched her glare with Toushirou's, an angry fire building up inside her. "Not all orphans act the way you do," she stated in a voice as icy as his. She then turned and began to walk down the sidewalk.

"Hey," he called out behind her. "Where are you going?"

She didn't even answer him. She was mad and when she was mad, she had to walk away from the source of her anger before she hit something. So she ignored him, instead heading towards the park. _If he wants to follow, he can look for me. Be damned if I make it easy for him. He's a Shinigami, so he can find me like the big boy captain he is..._


	5. Chapter 4: Truce and Spirit Power

Chapter Four: Truce and Spirit Power

Toushirou growl softly under his breath as he headed in the direction Yuna took off in, although by this time, he had _no_ idea where she went. After she took off, he had gone ahead to Urahara's, figuring that she would show up once she cooled her head, although why she'd gotten so angry, he had no idea. But after an hour, he found himself beginning to worry a little, so he set out to look for her in his Shinigami form so he could move through the town quicker. But her reiatsu was so faint that he couldn't locate it among all the others in that town and that was what was frustrating. _Damn woman,_ he thought as he ran over the roof tops, searching for her. _Why did she have to take off, without telling me where she was going? She could end up being attacked by another Menos and will probably be devoured by the time I get to her._

He ended up going to the park, hoping that she was there, because he couldn't think of anywhere else she would be. He moved through the large area and let out a sigh of relief when he found her sitting on one of the swings, her school bag on the ground nearby. He landed lightly on the branch of a nearby tree and sat, his back leaning against the trunk, arms and legs folded, and he watched her for a moment, trying to find his cool now that he found her and the small bit of worry he had held for her was gone. She just swayed back and forth on the swing, her eyes on the ground. She seemed lost in thought and somewhat sad, and he hadn't the faintest idea why. She always seemed so full of fire, so when looking her like this, Toushirou was beginning to wonder if this was the same Yuna who flared up at him only two hours ago.

After some time, Yuna sighed and stood up, walking over to retrieve her bag. As she settled the strap onto her shoulder, she said loudly, "You can stop hiding now, Toushirou. I know you're there."

Toushirou blinked, forgetting that she could sense reiatsus as easily as himself, before composing his features as she turned and looked up at him on his tree branch. "You shouldn't have taken off like that," he told her.

Yuna placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Would you have rather me punch your face in and knock you flat, 'cause that's what I'd felt like doing."

"Probably," Toushirou said, standing and jumping from the branch, landing lightly on the ground below, before walking towards her. "Then I wouldn't have spent an hour looking for you."

Yuna raised an eyebrow and asked, "Took you an hour?" Then she smirked, crossed her arms and said, "You're not much of a captain, if it took you an hour."

_Okay, so she's still mad at me... least she doesn't want to hit me anymore._ "Why are you so mad?"

"Why are you such an asshole?"

Toushirou stared at her, lost for words. This girl was incredible! No one that Toushirou could think of spoke with him like this before. Before he could think of a reply, the air seemed to tremble as a powerful reiatsu washed over them, followed by a powerful wind. Toushirou rose up an arm and moved in front of Yuna as the reiatsu faded, only to be replaced by a loud roar of a Hollow.

"Where did the Hollow come from?" Yuna asked, her eyes widening. "I didn't sense its reiatsu until now."

"Stand back," Toushirou said, unsheathing his Zanpakutoh as the Hollow appeared from the forest, knocking down several trees in its wake. The Hollow resembled a giant black and red boar with three long whip-like tails. It opened its mouth wide and roared, its reiatsu creating a powerful wind. Toushirou released his own reiatsu, causing the temperature to drop. He jumped up high, swinging his Zanpakutoh as he cried out, "Souten ni Zase, Hyourinmaru!" The ice dragon formed as the sky darkened with thick gray clouds. He swung his sword, sending the dragon towards the approaching Hollow.

The Hollow roared and jumped at Toushirou, somehow dodging Hyourinmaru, and used one of his tusks to hurtle him into the forest. He crashed into three trees before finally skidding to a stop, his back slamming against the trunk of a tree. The Hollow landed heavily in front of him, roaring as it did. _How...?_ was all Toushirou thought as he pushed himself to his feet, slightly disoriented. The Hollow took that advantage and lunged forward for another attack. Toushirou brought his Zanpakutoh up to hopefully block the attack and not sustain _too_ much damage.

Suddenly a figure came up between him and the Hollow. He watched as Yuna slammed her fist into the center of the Hollow's forehead, creating a flash of pale blue light, before flipping backward, kicking the Hollow and pushing off of it, causing it to roar in pain. She landed at a crouch a few feet away from Toushirou. She lifted her head up and swept her hair, the beads clicking softly together as she did so, from her face as she turned to Toushirou. "Take it out now," she told him.

Toushirou ignored the fact that she practically gave him an order. He launched himself at the Hollow and swung his sword down, slicing the Hollow in half. He landed behind the disintegrating Hollow and slowly turned to look at where Yuna stood. The girl was wearing black leather fingerless gloves, but other than that, nothing else suggested where she obtained the power to injure the Hollow. Her reiatsu remained the same. "How were you able to do that?" he demanded.

Yuna shrugged as she removed her gloves, walking by him. "I've been able to do that for a while," she told him. "Like I told you before, I hit them and it hurts them long enough so I can get away. I can't kill them like you can."

"Your reiatsu is too weak for a power like that," Toushirou said, sheathing his sword as he followed her.

"I don't know what to tell you…"

"Are you hiding something?"

Yuna spun around and placed her fists of her hips. "If I was," she replied, "why would I tell you?"

Toushirou stopped and glared at her. "What is wrong with you?" he asked. "Ever since the end of school, you've been…"

"About ready to bite your head off?"

"Yeah…"

Yuna stomped over to him and shoved a finger at his chest. "I just don't like the way you treat me," she told him. Before he could give a retort, she cut him off. "You act all superior, and sure you may be a captain of Soul Society, but remember, I ain't on of your subordinates. I'm trying to be a friend here and help you out since you asked me. I can easily say 'forget it' and refuse to help and not even acknowledge your existence, although that's pretty damn hard for someone who can see and sense souls, but hey, I'll manage. Now, are you going to stop being a stick-up-the-ass and be civil with me, or do we need to continue with this conversation?"

Toushirou looked at the girl and could see that she meant what she said. _She's definitely got spunk and spirit... there is a certain fire to her..._ He released a sigh and said, "Alright, I get it. We can deal."

"Truce then?"

"Not exactly a truce, but sure, I can be civil."

"Well, we'll see about that."

**.:x:.**

"So she can injure Hollows," Urahara said, waving his fan excitedly. "Hmm… well that is interesting seeing your low reiatsu is."

"Seems like everyone is saying that," Yuna grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Perhaps your reiatsu is being blocked, in a way that Shinigami can hide theirs. Something must automatically hide your reiatsu, which in a way is very beneficial in your part. That's why you can see souls, sense reiatsus and use spiritual power, but seem like your reiatsu is too low for you be able to do such things."

"Maybe," Toushirou said. "But whatever it may be, I think it'll be ideal to train her, so she can become stronger and use her power, but not lose control over it."

"Yes, that would be," Urahara said, looking at Yuna. "What do you say, Yuna?"

Yuna nodded and said, "Sure."

"Excellent!" Urahara exclaimed happily. "Training will start right away… tomorrow!"

"I thought you said 'right away'?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah," Renji pointed out. "What you said kind of contradicts itself."

"Shut up," Toushirou said, standing up. "It doesn't matter. Her training starts tomorrow, but it doesn't mean we'll slack off on the mission at hand. The sooner we find it, the better." Then he started to leave the back room and head out. "I'm going out. Matsumoto…"

"Yes, Captain," the busty blonde said, standing to join her captain and then the two of the shunpoed out of the store.

"Could I learn to do that?" Yuna asked, indicating the flash stepping the two Shinigami had just performed.

"I don't believe so, but who knows in your case," Urahara stated, pulling down the brim of his hat.

"So who will she be training with?" Ichigo asked the shop owner.

"I was thinking Yoruichi, since Yuna seems to be in the more hand to hand combat way of fighting." Urahara then looked at Yuna and smiled. "Do not worry, everything should turn out alright. Your powers are somewhat similar to what Orihime and Chad possess. You may possibly train with them when you reach a certain stage in your power."

Yuna just nodded and then she stood. "I should head home," she told them. Kaede is going to begin to worry."

"Very well," Urahara said. "Be here tomorrow after school."

Yuna nodded again before picking up her bag and heading out, stepping out into the twilight. She walked down the sidewalk, her way lit up by street lights that gave off a pool of orange light every twenty feet. She watched the ground in front of her pass, lost in thought. _Everything has changed so quickly in the past two days... Shinigami... Hollows... Soul Society... all of that had been stories until yesterday, when I ran into..._ She then frowned as she muttered, "It all started when I ran into Toushirou in the hallway. When I first felt that small tingle inside of me… like a jolt of electricity… I wonder what it could have been…"

"You shouldn't be walking alone at this time of night."

Yuna spun around and swung a fist forward, but Toushirou caught it with his own hand before it could connect. She glared at him as she pulled her hand back and said, "Don't do that. And how do you just keep popping up outta nowhere?"

"Sorry, but I thought you would know it was me," he said, frowning. "Didn't you sense my reiatsu?"

"Uhh… not really…" Yuna said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "I was kinda lost in thought…" She then turned and continued walking, knowing that he was going to walk with her anyway. Just like she thought, he walked alongside her, keeping his steps with her own.

"What were you thinking about?" he asked her.

"Just stuff, really," she replied. "Basically everything that's happened in the past two days. It's a lot to comprehend."

"Are you going to back down?"

"No," Yuna said, shaking her head. "Like I said, just thinking." She then stopped at the end of a long driveway that twisted its way into the woods. "This is my stop," she said, looking over at Toushirou. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," he replied, nodding.

Yuna smiled and then turned to head up the driveway. She then stopped and looked back, but he was already gone. Frowning slightly, she muttered, "Be safe…" before turning back around and heading towards home.


	6. Chapter 5: Day Off

Chapter Five: Day Off

"My name is Yoruichi Shihouin," the violet haired, golden eyed woman standing before Yuna said. "Kisuke said that you need to be trained, yes?"

"Yeah," Yuna said, nodding.

"The tactics you use are related to Hakuda, bare-hand military combat," Yoruichi said, "something I profess in, you could say. I'll be teaching you different moves of Hakuda that the Secret Mobile Corps in Soul Society are taught, but they will be the basic moves, just enough so you can fight Hollows. I'll also show you how to use your spirit power with these attacks, to make them more powerful. I won't go easy on you and the training will be hard and difficult. Are you ready?"

"Yes," Yuna said, nodding. The young girl stood facing Yoruichi in the training grounds that was, somehow, under Urahara's shop. She'd changed out of her school uniform into a pair of black shorts and a white sleeveless top. Her long hair was simply tied back with a red scrunchy. She had on her fingerless leather gloves and took a fighting stance, showing Yoruichi that she was indeed ready.

Yoruichi smiled and nodded. Then she shunpoed at the girl and attacked and so Yuna's training began.

Toushirou watched from the top of one of the cliffs that covered the training ground, watching as Yuna blocked Yoruichi's attacks and dealing some of her own, all the while Yoruichi speaking sharply at the young girl, either commenting or telling her how to do a certain move. Yoruichi moved at a normal pace at first, but after a few hours she moved at a quicker pace. But when Yoruichi sped up, Yuna did as well, using her spirit power to speed up. He couldn't help but feel amazement; the girl learned fast and she was good. When she fell, she just stood up and continued onward. Although Yoruichi was fast, Yuna landed a few hits onto the Goddess of Flash. As he watched, Yuna was flung backward towards a cliff face, but she somehow managed to twist her body so her feet planted on the vertical rocky surface, settling into a crouched position. Dust flew around her as she looked down at Yoruichi, one hand gripping the rocky side, her other arm outstretched to steady herself. She gave a smirk before shoving off and, flipping in mid-air, landed on the ground before launching another attack at her teacher.

"Enough," Yoruichi said after another hour of training, jumping up onto a cliff top and looking down at Yuna. The woman crossed her arms and smiled at the younger woman. "You did well today," she said. "We'll continue this tomorrow." Then she left, leaving Yuna and Toushirou alone in the training area.

Yuna bent over and rested her hands on her knees, breathing heavily. Toushirou stood up and jumped down to join her, saying, "You did well."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah, well," she said around small pants, "this seems to come naturally to me anyway, so…"

Toushirou chuckled slightly and then turned towards the stairs that led back up to the shop. "Let's go," he said.

"Ay, ay Captain," Yuna said, grinning as she jogged past.

"Hey, are you mocking my rank?"

"Maybe…"

"Yuna!"

Yuna laughed as she ran up the stairs and Toushirou headed up after her. When he reached the top, he saw her standing near the doorway. "Hey," she said, leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed, her hair now loose and falling around her shoulders. "Get into your gigai, stick-up-the-ass. You're taking a day off."

Toushirou blinked at the nickname he received from her and also at what she said. "Day… off…" he repeated.

"What? You sound like you've never heard those two words put together before," Yuna said, laughing. "Come on, I already talked to Matsumoto, Ichigo and the others and they agree with me and said that they've got the search covered for the rest of the evening and night. So, let's go!"

He sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to be able to get out of it, but making a note to rip Matsumoto a new one when he saw her again, as well as Ichigo. So a half hour later, Toushirou found himself walking down the sidewalk beside Yuna. It was still light out, but a little cool with the fall season. His gigai wore jeans torn at the knee, black and gray sneakers and a black polo shirt with the buttons undone. Yuna had changed out of her training clothes and now wore dark blue jeans, violet, navy blue and gray skater sneakers and a top that was a gray baby tee, but had long black sleeves attached to it. Her long hair fell down her back and around her shoulders. They walked in silence for a while before he said, "Oi, what are we doing then?"

Yuna looked at him and said, "What ever we run into." Then she began to run, calling out behind her, "Come on!"

"Hey, Yuna!" he exclaimed, running after her. He caught up to her, but she didn't stop running, so he just matched his pace with hers and ran alongside her. They reached the park and it was then that Yuna slowed to a walk, breathing heavily but evenly. Toushirou looked at her and asked, "What was that for?"

"Have you ever just had the urge to run, with no real destination?" she asked, looking at him, her eyes locking with his. "But just run to feel the wind on your face, and get the feeling that you're free?" She looked skyward and said, "I get that feeling all the time. Sometimes, I run for such a long time… I lose track of time when I run." She then smiled sheepishly and said, "I must sound stupid…"

"No… well, kinda… ow!" Toushirou rubbed his arm where Yuna punched him playfully.

"Thanks Toushirou…" she said, but with a smile. Then she grabbed his hand and said, "I know where we can go now. Come on, follow me." She then led him into the woods, walking through the shadows with no fear. He followed her, his hand still in hers but he didn't bother to pull away. _What's going on with me...?_

They walked through the woods for quite a while, to the point where the sun had set and the stars began dotting the sky one by one. After a while, they came into a clearing with a small crystal-clear pool at the center surrounded by large boulders. White flowers dotted the land around the clearing, seeming to glow in the starlight and the light of the moon that was slowly rising over the treetops. Toushirou blinked at the sight of the place as Yuna led him to the pools edge. "Where are we?" he asked.

"I found this place a few months after I moved here," Yuna replied, letting go of his hand and crawling up onto a boulder to sit on it. "I was just exploring and I found this place. If you pay close attention, you can feel a reiatsu coming from the water."

Toushirou leaned against the boulder Yuna sat on and concentrated. Sure enough, he could sense a faint reiatsu coming from the water. "I wonder what's causing it."

"I think that something very powerful happened here," Yuna said, wrapping her arms around her upraised knees. "Something dealing with powerful spirit power, and what we're feeling is the remnants of it."

"Hm… maybe," Toushirou said with a soft grunt. He looked at the water and could see small colorful fish kissing the surface of the water.

The two of them sat in silence for a long while, both lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Yuna broke the silence. "I come here a lot, when I have a lot on my mind. It's one place where I feel safe and where I can really think and sort out my emotions. You could say that this place has become my sanctuary."

"When did you arrive here?" Toushirou asked her. "I don't remember seeing you here the last time I was in Karakura Town."

"I came here about two years ago…" She said nothing more, and since she seemed like she didn't want to talk about it, he didn't press it. _Perhaps something happened to her before she came here, and it still pains her to speak of it._

Toushirou sighed and he stood up. "We should head back to the Kurosaki's," he said. "Or else Isshin may have a panic attack."

Yuna laughed, her saddened mood vanishing. She stood up and hopped off of her boulder. She then looked towards the woods and said, "It's going to take some time getting back…"

"No," Toushirou said, and then he grasped her arm and swung her up onto his back. Yuna squawked and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck in a choking hold. He laughed softly and reached up to loosen her arms a little. "Hold on, but not that tightly."

"O-okay," Yuna said, gripping his waist with her thighs and making her arms around his neck and shoulders loose.

Toushirou grasped her thighs right behind her knees to help keep her on his back before he started to run, moving quicker than humans but not as fast as he would in his Shinigami form. He moved easily through the woods, leaping over fallen trees and moving around trees that were still standing.

"How can you do this in your gigai?" Yuna asked.

"We can use some of our spirit power in our gigais, but we aren't as strong as we would be out of them. We can use kidou to a certain extent and we're a little stronger and faster than humans."

"Oh," Yuna said, and then she pressed her face into the crook of his neck. "Getting kinda dizzy…"

Toushirou just chuckled and said, "We're almost there." Soon enough, they were out of the woods and back into the park. He slowed to a walk and heading towards the direction of the Kurosaki home. Yuna lifted her head up slightly and he could hear her take in a small breath of amazement.

"We're already back?"

"Yeah, told you it wouldn't take so long," he said, looking at her.

Yuna smiled and then she went a slight shade of pink. "Umm… can I get down now?" she asked.

Toushirou felt himself redden slightly and he nodded. "Yeah…" He let her slide off his back and she stepped up to walk beside him. The two of them continued to head towards the Kurosaki residence, neither speaking. Once they reached the house, Toushirou looked at Yuna and said, "You coming in?"

Yuna shrugged and said, "Sure… seeing as I'm part of the Shinigamis in your mission, might as well hear what Ichigo has to report."

Toushirou nodded and he walked inside, Yuna following. As he suspected, he was immediately pounced on by Isshin Kurosaki, Ichigo's father and former Shinigami Captain, who was now a little on the senile side, although most of the time Toushirou believed that it was an act, but one could never be too sure about it.

"Toushirou!" Isshin exclaimed wildly. "Where have you been?! I began to worry when you didn't arrive home with Ichigo and when he told me he had no idea where you went! What happened to you? I was so worried about you! Why must you terrify me in such…"

"Oi! Shut it up already!" Karin Kurosaki said, throwing a punch at her father's face and sending him across the room. "Leave Toushirou alone, will ya? Can't you see he was only out with someone?!"

Isshin looked up from where he was sprawled out on the floor in the other room. "Is that a girl with Toushirou?" Suddenly, the older man began to wail and he jumped up to stagger over to the large picture of Masaki Kurosaki. "Oh Masaki! Our little Whitey-chan is growing up and dating women! Our adopted son is going to get married!"

Karin sighed wearily as Toushirou palm-faced himself lightly. Yuna just stared at Isshin weeping at the large picture and asked, "Is he always like that?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Ichigo said, coming down the stairs, giving a smirk to the two of them. "Welcome to the family, Toushirou, although I have no idea when _that_ happened…"

"For the last time, it's Captain Hitsugaya to you," Toushirou replied, crossing his arms.

"Probably when Toushirou hung out with me," Karin pointed out. "Remember how he became all flustered when he heard about the soccer game."

"Oh yeah…" Ichigo said. "I think you were adopted into the family then, along with Rangiku, Rukia and Renji… or maybe it was when you guys moved in for this mission… I don't know sometimes with him…" Ichigo looked over at his father again and sighed. "I really don't feel like dealing with him tonight…" He looked over at Yuna and Toushirou. "Wanna head out and get something to eat?"

"Sure," Yuna said, nodding. "Is Rukia or someone else here to come with us?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said, nodding. "Rukia is here. Lemme get her. OI! RUKIA! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!"

"Must you always yell, Ichigo," Rukia said, coming down the stairs a minute later.

"It's easier than going up the stairs," Ichigo replied, shrugging.

"That's because you're lazy," Rukia said before elbowing him in the side. "Where are we going?"

"Out," Toushirou said.

Rukia frowned and then she saw Isshin crying a river next to the picture of Masaki and then nodded. "Yeah, let's go…"

"Don't leave me, nee-san!" Kon cried, throwing himself down from the stairs at Rukia. She sighed and, grabbing the lion plushie by his head, shoved him in her hand bag.

"We ready now?" Toushirou asked irritably as Yuna giggled softly beside him.

"Yes," Ichigo said, still rubbing his side. Then the four of them headed out as quickly as possible just as Karin began to pound her father into the wall, yelling that he needed to stop crying and grow up.

**.:x:.**

"What are you getting, Toushirou?" Ichigo asked.

Yuna saw Toushirou frown at Ichigo calling him by his first name again, but he didn't say anything. The young captain was looking at the menu, contemplating on what to choose from all the food listed. "Who knows…? I've never had any of this before…"

"Are you telling me that you've never eaten anything on this menu before?" Ichigo exclaimed. "You've never had a freakin' hamburger?!"

"No…"

"What the hell… you were here for almost a year during the whole Aizen crisis! You didn't find time to have a hamburger during that entire period?!"

"No…"

"What the…?"

"Ichigo," Rukia said, cutting the orange-haired Shinigami from his ranting. "Leave him alone. We didn't have time for much during the Winter War."

"Yeah, guess you're right, but still…"

"Why don't you just get what I'm getting," Yuna suggested, laying her menu open in front of her so Toushirou could see it. The four of them sat a booth in the back, Yuna and Toushirou on one side, Ichigo and Rukia in the other. "Just get the Honey Barbeque Bacon Cheeseburger with the side of fries, like me. It's pretty good."

"Alright," Toushirou said, closing his menu and lightly tossing it to the end of the table against the wall.

"Whoa, I never knew a girl who would order that," Ichigo said, closing his own menu.

Yuna shrugged and said, "I like my meat. Where do you think I get my strength behind those punches from?"

Ichigo just shrugged and took a drink from his soda that their waitress had given them. Yuna rolled her eyes, thinking, _Typical men... Shinigami or not._

Their waitress came back and took their orders. When she walked off, Toushirou leaned back and crossed his arms, looking at Ichigo. "Did you find anything, Kurosaki?"

"Nadda…" Ichigo replied, rubbing the back of his head. "None of us have sensed that reiatsu since your guys' first night here. We can't find anything that would hold that much spirit force… But we have noticed that the Hollow population is a little higher than usual."

"They may be doing what we are doing," Rukia said. "They must have heard of the powerful reiatsu and now are coming to the real world to get a chance to find it and devour it."

"Oh joy," Yuna said, sighing. "Now we have to deal with more Hollows."

"Looks like it," Toushirou said. "I've noticed that as well. And these Hollows aren't exactly weak either, like the one Yuna and I fought. It somehow dodged Hyourinmaru. I thought that it was a fluke, but now that I think of it…" He shook his head, clearly frustrated. "Something is going on…"

"Do you think some old followers of Aizen are sending the Hollows out to find that strong reiatsu?" Ichigo asked.

"Who knows…? Yuna? What is it?"

Yuna was jolted out of her thoughts. "Oh…" she said. "It's just… every time one of you say 'Aizen', it triggers something in my memory."

"Like what?" Rukia asked, frowning.

Yuna just shook her head. "It's probably nothing," she said. "I've might have heard it somewhere else or something…" She could see Toushirou looking at her, could feel his icy eyes boring into her head, and could feel his reiatsu spike just slightly in what she recognized from him was worry. _Aizen... damn, why does that sound so familiar..._ Before she could dwell on it more, their orders arrived, so Yuna pushed it all into the darkest corner of her mind to deal with later.

She ate a few fries before diving into her burger. Ichigo was already chowing down on a triple cheeseburger while Rukia ate a chicken Caesar salad. She looked over at Toushirou and saw him holding his burger in his hands, looking at it strangely. He finally took a bite out of it, chewing slowly. "What do you think?" Yuna asked.

He swallowed and shrugged. "It's alright," he said, although Yuna sensed his reiatsu saying that he thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it tasted good. She smiled slightly and began to eat her own dinner, quite content with the company she held.


	7. Chapter 6: Yuna's Secret

Chapter Six: Yuna's Secret

In the following week, Toushirou watched as Yuna became stronger and gained more skills than she'd possessed before. But although he was quite impressed and slightly proud that the young human girl's training was going so well, he couldn't help but become frustrated at the fact that in the several days that they've been in the real world, they only sensed that powerful reiatsu once and it was only for a few seconds. A week later and still no sign of it or its source. By week three, Toushirou was way over frustrated.

The only thing that seemed to calm him slightly was Yuna. He didn't know _how_ the girl did it, but every time he saw her when he walked into the classroom every morning, the pressure in his mind seemed to lighten and even more so when he spoke with her. He soon found himself anticipating seeing her every time he woke up, but he didn't let the others know about it, especially Ichigo and Rangiku; those two would _never_ let him down with it. When he gave report to Yammato, through the large communication screen that they'd used during their last time in the real world, he had mentioned Yuna's help in the mission and the Captain-Commander said that as long as she didn't cause any trouble, she could help just like Ichigo's friends did. Toushirou had also told him about Yuna's power and he knew that the Captain-Commander was quite impressed with what he heard, although he didn't show it.

They'd been in the real world for almost a month now and it was well into the autumn season. The once green leaves were an assortment of burnished golds, reds, yellows and browns. The air was a lot crisper and cooler, causing everyone to wear heavier jackets when they went outside. Toushirou had a feeling that they would still be here by the snow season.

"Looks like you guys will be here for Christmas," Ichigo said as they walked to class.

"Probably," Toushirou said, nodding. The two of them walked into the classroom and the first thing Toushirou did was look for Yuna. It came as quite a shock when she wasn't in the room. He saw her three friends in their usual spot talking, but there was no sign of the fiery blonde.

"She wasn't in homeroom this morning…"

Toushirou looked around at Orihime who had come up to him when she noticed who he was looking for. "What?" he asked, surprised the usual air-headed young woman noticed his slight disappointment of not seeing Yuna. Then again, Toushirou knew that there was more to Orihime than what meets the eye, which she'd shown during the Winter War.

"Yuna never showed up in homeroom this morning," Orihime repeated, talking quietly so Ichigo and the others wouldn't overhear. "The teacher said she called out today and would probably be out for a couple days."

Toushirou frowned but nodded his thanks to Orihime. He sat down at his desk and allowed himself to slip and get lost into his thoughts. He found himself throughout the entire day wondering about the girl missing from the seat behind him and was only shaken from his thoughts at the end of class when Ichigo jabbed him between the eyes with the eraser of his pencil.

"What the hell is your problem today, eh Toushirou?" the younger Shinigami asked.

"Nothing… go away…"

"You're thinking about Yuna, aren't you?"

"No I'm not…"

"Liar."

"Shut up…"

Ichigo smirked and said, "I figured as much…" Then his face became serious as he said, "I'm kind of worried as well. She's never missed class like this, and without warning. She was fine last night."

"I know," Toushirou said.

"If you want to go look for her after school, I'll take over your shift."

Toushirou blinked in surprise. "Kurosaki…"

"I don't mind, really. Just do what you have to do, and I won't say anything to Rangiku either. I know that she can be a pain. I'll just make something up if she asks."

Toushirou gave the other man a small, but grateful, smile. "Thank you…" he said. For the first time in a long while since he first met him, he found himself liking more of Ichigo Kurosaki than he'd had before.

**.:x:.**

Right after school, Toushirou went back to the Kurosaki residence to change out of his school clothing into regular street clothes before heading in the direction of Yuna's place, trying to remember how to get there. He'd walked Yuna home a few times, but it had been dark then, so he'd felt obligated to make sure she got home safely. Everything looked a little different in the afternoon. As he walked through town, wearing a light jacket to keep out the chilly breeze, even though he was somewhat accustomed to the cold, and a red scarf hanging loosely from his neck, he tried to remember the streets they'd turned onto and the name of the street she actually lived on.

Finally he came to the front of the long drive that Yuna always walked up to get to her house, right outside of town. He started to walk up it, leaving the sounds of the town behind as he walked into the woods. The driveway was now covered in a thick blanket of gold and red leaves, the trees' branches above him almost bare. Hands in the pockets of his jacket, Toushirou continued to trudge up the driveway. It was about a half-mile long and when he began to turn a corner, he could see a house through the branches of the trees. He turned the corner and stood outside a clearing where a large old brown house with a deck going around stood in the center. The house was shingled and probably had been painted once, but the paint had peeled away long ago. But through the windows, Toushirou could see nice white curtains hanging and the shingles on the roof looked, if not new, seemingly well kept. All in all, the whole house seemed well kept, despite its age.

Sighing, Toushirou walked up the walkway to the porch, climbed its steps, and stopped in front of the doorway. From where he stood, Toushirou could hear the sounds of children laughing and playing and he didn't recall Yuna saying that she had brothers or sisters. In fact, he didn't recall Yuna ever telling him about her family, except her mentioning that little girl, Marlene, she'd been with during the Hollow attack when she discovered what he was. He raised his hand and loudly knocked on the door, and then stepped back a little to wait. After a while, the door opened, revealing an old woman who was slightly hunched with age, possibly well into her seventies. She had long silvery gray hair tied into a braid and she wore a simple brown skirt that fell to the floor and a white shirt with a knitted gray and brown shawl over her shoulders. She gripped a cane in her wrinkled hand, but what startled Toushirou the most was the woman's eyes; they were the deepest shade of green he'd ever seen and they seemed to stare into his very soul.

"May I help you?" she asked. Her voice was surprisingly clear for her age, but it held a great deal of wisdom and long years in it.

"I'm looking for Yuna… Yuna Amaterasu?" he asked. "She lives here, right?"

"Ah, Yuna," the old woman said, smiling fondly. "Yes, she is here. Would you like to come in?"

Toushirou nodded and the old woman stepped aside to let him in. He gave his thanks with a slight bow. He then looked around the house.

He was standing in a large front room with a stairway before him that had carpeted steps and darkly polished handrails on either side. The stairs led to the second floor that was opened like a balcony before him, the opening making a square of forty-feet-by-forty-feet in the first floors ceiling with railings wrapping around the edge. To his left was an large arched doorway that led to the living room from what he could see and as he walked farther into the house, he saw that the room had a few recliners, couches and simple chairs, a coffee table at the center and a large stone fireplace that had an old but stable looking rocking chair beside it. To the right was a swinging door that he believed led to the kitchen and dining room. The entire house was well kept and decorated with small potted plants, paintings and ornaments on the walls and a chandelier-like light that hung from the ceiling of the second floor over the stairway. Behind the stairway was another doorway with sliding double doors and he could hear the sounds of children coming from beyond those doors and from upstairs.

"Your house is beautiful," he commented, looking at the old woman who stood waiting as he looked over his surroundings.

Thank you," the woman said, smiling. "It's takes a lot to keep it neat, especially with all the children, but the older ones help me a lot. There is only so much I can do in this old age." Then the old woman chuckled and said, "Forgive me, but you must be wondering who I am. I am Kaede Kimoria, but you can just call me Kaede. No formalities, please."

"Pleased to meet you, Kaede," Toushirou said. "I'm Toushirou Hitsugaya."

"Ah yes, Toushirou," Kaede said with a smile. "I figured it was you, from the description Yuna gave me of you. She speaks a great deal of you and the rest of your friends."

Toushirou blinked, slightly surprised. _What does Yuna say about us?_ But before he could ask Kaede what Yuna had said about them, the doors behind the stairs slid open with a slight bang and five children, three boys and two girls, ranging from six to ten, ran out. One Toushirou recognized as Marlene. The children were laughing and carrying on, not even noticing the two elders by the front door, as they ran up the stairs and around the floor to somewhere above Toushirou.

"Forgive the rowdiness here," Kaede said with a smile. "The children become quite energetic when they come home from school. But come, Yuna is upstairs." Kaede began to lead Toushirou up the stairs, using one of the railings as a support. Toushirou walked beside her just in case she needed his assistance. They reached the second floor, which was an opened hallway before him lined with four doors, two on either side. Looking behind him he saw that on the other side of the opening was just a space that had a small set of stairs that he guessed led to an attic. "That leads up to the top floor, which is all opened for the children to play," Kaede said, noticing him looking. Then she led him down the hallway, walking to the first door on the left. "This is where the boys sleep," she said, "and the girls sleep in the room across the hall. We have ten boys who live here and nine girls. I sleep in the next room on this side and Yuna has the other room. These first two rooms are the largest."

"This is quite a family," Toushirou said and then he frowned, thinking of something. "Where are Yuna and the rest of the children's parents?"

Kaede blinked in surprise and looked at Toushirou. "Yuna never told you, didn't she?" she asked, her eyes suddenly overcome with sadness.

"Tell me what?"

Kaede sighed and shook her head. "It is not my place, but Yuna's, to tell you." She then opened the door and said, "Yuna is in here. She stayed home today to take care of one of the little ones." She walked in and Toushirou followed her.

The room was quite large, with twenty beds that lined the walls on either side, ten on each wall. Each bed had a large wooden chest at the foot and a bedside table between them. Overhead lights lined the ceiling above and a large window was at the far end of the room. The room consisted of blues, greens, reds and other boyish colors. At the last bed on the right laid a tiny boy with no hair and pale skin, his eyes closed as he slept. Sitting on the edge of the bed, her blonde hair pulled into a loose ponytail, was Yuna.

The young woman looked up at their entrance and her eyes widened at the sight of Toushirou. "Toushirou?" she exclaimed, a bit surprised and, which shocked him, slight fear. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if you were alright," he replied, shrugging. "You didn't show up for school today so we were worried."

Yuna smiled sadly and said, "I figured you would be, and I'm sorry, but I needed to stay with Zack." She gestured to the boy lying in the bed who began to have a coughing fit in his sleep.

"I will leave you two," Kaede said, turning back towards the door. "I'm going to start dinner. Will you be staying Toushirou?"

"I'm not sure yet," he replied.

"Well, I'll make a little extra, just in case," Kaede said with a kind smile and then she walked out, closing the door softly behind her. Toushirou realized that the walls were sound resistant so he couldn't hear the sounds of the other children playing in the house.

He took a seat on the bed next to the one the boy slept in as Yuna returned to her seat. The boy's coughing had ceased and now he laid there, his breathing uneven. "What's wrong with him?" Toushirou asked, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.

"He has leukemia… cancer," Yuna replied, taking Zack's hand in hers. It looked so small and thin compared to her strong one.

"I'm sorry," Toushirou said, unsure what to say.

"He had it since he was six," Yuna said, looking over at him. "He's now fifteen, although he doesn't look it. He went into remission when he was seven, but it came back a year ago and he's been going downhill ever since."

Toushirou looked at the boy, saddened that Yuna had to suffer watching a family member die. He then remembered his and Kaede's conversation outside the room and he looked back at Yuna. "Yuna," he said, "where are your parents? All these children's parents? Are all of them your siblings?"

Yuna looked down at the hand she held and for the first time that Toushirou has known her, he saw tears swimming in her eyes. "My parents… my parents are gone, Toushirou, as are all the parents of the children here. This is an orphanage… I'm an orphan."


	8. Chapter 7: Yuna's Story

Chapter Seven: Yuna's Story and Toushirou's Tears

"Orphan?!" Toushirou exclaimed softly, completely taken aback at what Yuna told him. _So that's why she got so mad that day,_ he thought, remember the day when she took off on him. He remembered the conversation quite clearly and now understood the anger in her eyes:

_:"I am over ten times older than you are. I have my duties as captain, and I see to it that I follow through with them. I don't have time to fool around."_

"_You sound like you didn't have a childhood…"_

"_I was an orphan," he replied, "so you could say that I didn't, seeing as I had to look after myself."_

_Yuna then matched her glare with Toushirou's, an angry fire building up inside her. "Not all orphans act the way you do," she stated in a voice as icy as his.:_

"Yuna, why didn't you tell me?" Toushirou asked her.

Yuna looked at him and he saw something flash in her eyes, but he wasn't sure what. "Why would I tell you?" she asked. "It's not like you care about other people or feel for them. You're a captain and have your duties, right?"

Toushirou jumped to his feet, glaring at her. "How dare you?" he hissed. "How dare you say I don't care? I do care for others… I feel…"

"Then how come you never show it?"

Toushirou's mouth dropped open slightly. _How is it that she always leaves me speechless?_ He clenched his fists angrily and looked away. "I…" he said, wondering how to put his feelings into words, on why he shut out his heart from everyone. One word escaped his mouth, a word he hadn't uttered in three years. "Hinamori…"

"What?"

"Hinamori…" he repeated, slowly sitting back down. "She was… my childhood friend. We grew up together and she sort of took care of and looked after me. But, during the Winter War…" Toushirou avoided Yuna's gaze and instead looked out the window, watching the leaves drift to the ground. "She… died… was killed actually. She tried to protect Aizen, but before I could do anything, he killed her. She thought that he wasn't the bad guy; she'd looked up to him while he was still a captain in Soul Society. By the time she realized who Aizen was, her blood was spilling out of her and onto the ground. I held her as she died… she said she was sorry for not believing me… and then she died. I couldn't protect her…" Pain weld up in his heart as he spoke, reliving past, dark memories. "That's why I close myself off… I don't want to be unable to protect someone again. If I remain alone, then I won't have to worry about it… I…" He looked at Yuna when he felt her hand take his. She squeezed it gently and gave him a small smile, eyes filled with sadness.

"Come on," she said, standing and gently pulling him to his feet. "Let's talk in my room."

"But, what about…" Toushirou looked down at Zack.

"I'll have Marlene look after him for a while," Yuna said as she led Toushirou to the door, her hand still holding his. She walked out of the room and went across the hall to the girls' room. She opened it and called out softly, "Marlene, can you come here for a moment?" Toushirou watched as Marlene came out, closing the door behind her. Yuna let go of his hand as she knelt down in front of the young girl. "Marlene, could you look after Zack for a little while? I need to talk with Toushirou."

Marlene looked up at Toushirou and he saw her eyes flicker with recognition. He could feel her reiatsu, which was much stronger than he would expect from a child her age and her eyes seemed to hold some sort of wisdom, and sadness. She then nodded and walked to the boys' room, closing the door softly behind her.

Yuna stood up and, taking his hand again, led him to her room. She closed the door behind her and then the two of them sat on the edge of her bed. Toushirou avoided her eyes until she gently took a hold of his chin and turned his head, forcing him to look at her. "You blame yourself, don't you?" she asked softly.

"I couldn't protect her… it was my fault…"

"No, it wasn't," Yuna said, shaking her head. "It happened, and it was a tragedy, but there was nothing you could have done about it. Hinamori made her decision, and fate took it the rest of the way. It wasn't you who killed her, it wasn't your sword."

"But… I could have stopped him…"

"Things happen, Toushirou… I couldn't stop what happened to my…" Yuna looked away then, pulling her hands onto her lap. "I couldn't stop what happened to my father… to my village…"

"What happened, Yuna?"

"I was sixteen… my mother had died giving birth to my brother, who was born prematurely, so he died as well. My father and I grieved, but we moved on. We were happy, just the two of us. He taught me how to fight, to protect myself, he once told me. We lived in a small village, less than a hundred people. Everyone knew everyone. I was happy with my life.

"Then one day, something attacked our village. I realize now that it was some sort of powerful Hollow… and someone else, but I'm not sure… it's all kind of fuzzy. I remember the flames… the village was burning. I looked everywhere for my father, and I finally found him, outside the village. He tried to stop the attacker, to kill him… I… I saw my father lying there, dying. I held him as he died. He told me to run, that the monster that hurt him will kill me too. I begged for him not to leave me, but he… papa… _tou-san_..." Tears spilt from Yuna's eyes. "I… I remember suddenly going into a rage. I saw the sword that had killed my father, killed the people in my village, sticking up from the ground. I remember taking it, the blade was still covered in their blood… but I can't remember anything else after that.

"What I remember is stumbling back into my village, which was nothing but ashes by then. I remember seeing the bodies of all the villagers… men, women, children… it didn't matter to whoever killed them all. And I remember hearing the roars of the Hollows who fed on their souls…

"Kaede found me about a week later. I hadn't left the village, refused to believe that it and everyone in it was gone. Kaede said that I was mad with grief, but somehow she managed to make me go with her. She mended my heart and now, although it still hurts from time to time, the wounds there are healed, although they've left scars which will probably never fade."

"I'm sorry, Yuna," Toushirou said, looking at her. "I had no idea…"

"Of course not, idiot," Yuna said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "You are the first person I've told this to. I never even told Rinoa, and she's my best friend."

"Then why me?"

"I don't know," Yuna said, looking at him. "Maybe because I felt like that you out of all people would understand."

Toushirou nodded and said, "I do, and it wasn't your fault, Yuna."

"And it wasn't yours about Hinamori."

Toushirou gave a small smile at Yuna and said, "Yeah, but it still hurts."

"It always will, I guess…"

He nodded again, a burning sensation in his eyes and his vision began to blur. He felt as if something was caught in his throat as the images of Hinamori's bleeding body flashed through his mind… the look on her face as Aizen's sword pierced her chest… how the light in her eyes seemed to go out when she died. All of it rolled through his head like a video on repeat, over and over, until the thing in his throat burst from his mouth as a dry sob. He tried to hold back, but he couldn't stop the tears that leaked out and slid down his cheeks.

"It's okay to cry, Toushirou," Yuna said softly. "Even captains of the Gotei 13 should be able to cry every once in a while." She wrapped her arms around him and he could feel the slight hesitation there, as if she expected him to throw her off.

But he didn't; instead he turned his body and pressed his face into Yuna's shoulder, wrapping his own arms around her waist. His sobbing wasn't loud, but his entire body shook with the silent racking sobs, cut off by an occasional choking gasp. He couldn't remember the last time he cried like this; perhaps it was the first. He never cried, but kept his emotions inside of him. Even when Hinamori died, he didn't cry like this, but instead went into a rage that eventually killed Aizen and even after the war he didn't cry for his fallen childhood friend. Instead, he put up the distant demeanor that was even more so than before she died; making the ice around his heart colder and thicker that even the hottest fires of hell couldn't melt it. But now, somehow, the ice melted a little, and something inside of him seemed to burst, sending forth hundreds of years of pent up emotions. He didn't hold back now and, even if he wanted to, he didn't think that he could.

So he cried for he didn't know how long, his face pressed against the curve of Yuna's shoulder and neck and with Yuna holding him tightly to her, her hand gently and soothingly rubbing his back. Finally, the tears slowed to a stop and his shaking subsided. He began to catch his breath, turning his head to look out the window beside Yuna's bed. The sky was darkening outside and he could hear the wind blowing through the trees, slightly stronger than earlier that day.

Once he caught his breath did he pull away from Yuna. He rubbed his eyes which he bet were swollen and red. He looked at Yuna who gave him a soft smile and she asked, "Feel better?"

He nodded, feeling the burden he'd held in his heart for three years lighten. "I feel lighter…" he said.

Yuna smiled and poked his chest lightly. "I think you lost some weight right around here," she said, indicating his heart.

Toushirou smiled before standing up. He walked to the mirror that hung on the wall over her dresser and looked at his reflection. He blinked at what he saw. His eyes were red alright, and swollen and his cheeks were all blotchy from crying. "I look like hell," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"No, you don't… okay, maybe a little," Yuna said, grinning.

Toushirou shot her a look over his shoulder but he couldn't help but smile at her light teasing to make him feel better. He turned back to face Yuna and walked up to her as she stood. He reached for her and pulled her into his embrace. He held her tight and muttered, "Yuna?"

"Yeah?" she asked, resting her head on his shoulder, her arms around his waist.

"Thank you."

**.:x:.**

He did end up staying for dinner that night and he was quite amazed how Yuna handled the children. As soon as it was announced that dinner was ready, there was a stamped as the children seemed to come from all corners of the house and make their way through the swinging door into the dining room. Toushirou watched as Yuna herded the children to their seats, talking sharply, but kindly, to them and finally getting them under control. Only then did she help Kaede carry the food out, which was when Toushirou stepped forward and offered to carry something, which Kaede gave a thankful smile to him as she handed him a large platter of roast beef slices. The food was set out and, as Yuna dealt everyone their portion of meat, the children passed the bowls of vegetables and mashed sweet potatoes around, each getting a reasonable share so that there would be enough for everyone. Once everyone had their food and Yuna had sat down in the empty seat next to Toushirou, did they all chorus, "Itadakimasu!" and began to eat. Chatter ran up and down the table and although Toushirou ate in silence most of the time, he basked in the warmth he felt at the table. _They may not be related, but they're a family,_ he thought as he watched Yuna talk to two of the girls about their day at school, laughing if they told her something funny. _Everyone here is to Yuna what Hinamori was to me._

Once the children cleaned their plates and left the table in either groups of two or three, Yuna begin to clean off the table, Toushirou giving her a hand. He helped her with the dishes and scowled at Yuna when she started laughing because he didn't know how to use a dishwasher. They scrubbed the pots and pans by hand and Yuna began teasing, asking if he knew how to wash dishes. He answered by scooping up some suds and smearing them on one side of her face.

"Toushirou Hitsugaya," Yuna exclaimed mockingly as she wiped off the suds from her face, "you _do _have a sense of humor!"

"Shut up…"

When the kitchen was cleaned up and the dishwasher humming as it worked, Toushirou grabbed his jacket and scarf, preparing to leave. Yuna grabbed her own jacket and scarf, telling him that she will walk him to the end of the driveway. After he thanked Kaede for dinner and she replied with the offer to come back anytime, he and Yuna stepped outside and began to walk down the driveway.

"Burr… it's kinda cold tonight," Yuna said, wrapping her scarf closer around her. "Winter is definitely coming."

Toushirou nodded, his hands in the pockets of his jacket. They continued to walk in silence, both just enjoying the company of each other. When they reached the end of the drive, he turned to look at her and he said, "Thanks… for everything."

Yuna smiled and nodded. "Sure," she said. She then smirked and said, "You can keep up your icy, stick-up-the-ass demeanor around the others if you want; today didn't mean that you can't. Just remember that I know what's under that icy shell of yours and that you can't fool me."

Toushirou nodded and said, "I know. I can't help it; it's who I am."

Yuna smiled softly and reached up to brush at the lock of hair that hung over his left eye. "I know," she said, "but just remember: you don't have to hide anything from me."

Toushirou smiled slightly and said, "I will." He then turned and began to head down the sidewalk.

"Toushirou!" Yuna called out from behind him.

He stopped and turned to look at her. "Yeah?"

"Be careful?"

He couldn't stop the soft smile that broke through his demeanor. He gave her a nod before turning and continuing on his way.


	9. Chapter 8: Powerful Reiatsu

Chapter Eight: Powerful Reiatsu

Yuna didn't return to school for three days and when she finally did, Toushirou swore he felt something lift from his chest when he walked into the classroom and saw her there. Only this time, she wasn't standing with her three friends, but with Orihime, Rukia and the others. Although she was talking and laughing with the others, he could see that something was bothering her. But he couldn't help but return the smile that she gave him at his approach. "Hey Toushirou," she said once he dropped his bag onto his desk.

"Hey," he replied, sitting in his chair and propping one elbow onto its back. "How's Zack?"

Yuna smiled with just a faint hint of sadness. "He's a little better, but still very sick."

Toushirou nodded and before he could ask what was troubling her, the teacher walked in, ordering all of them to go to their seats. Yuna took her seat behind him and the class began to write down notes as the teacher started her lecture. Once the teacher's back was turned as she wrote stuff down onto the black board, Toushirou took out a piece of paper and wrote:

"_What's wrong? Something is bothering you, so don't say otherwise."_

He then folded it and passed the note back, quickly and secretively, to Yuna and waited. He could hear the sound of her pen scratching on the paper. Then, somehow, Yuna managed to slip the paper back over to him without being seen. He glanced up at the teacher, making sure she wasn't in eyes view, before quickly opening the note and reading Yuna's response.

"_You can read me like a book, can't you... but yeah, something is bugging me..."_

Toushirou wrote down and passed back the note, and that's how they kept up the conversation; secretly passing a note back and forth:

"_What is it?"_

"_Ayumi and Kaia... two of my friends."_

"_What about them?"_

"_They're giving me hell because they've seen me with you a lot. They also saw you go to my house the other day... they don't like you and think that you're not good enough for me to hang around with."_

"_So that's why you were over here today."_

"_Yeah, I finally told them to shut up and stay out of my social life. I told them that you were a great guy and for them not to judge you by your stick-up-the-ass demeanor."_

"_I love how you put it into that phrase, but thanks..."_

"_Yeah, well, we both know what you're really like."_

"_You hush up..."_

"_Come on, Toushirou, you know you don't really mind... right?"_

Before he could reply, someone in the back called out. "Maduko Sensei! Yuna and Toushirou are passing notes!" Everyone looked around, including Toushirou and Yuna, to see one of the girls the two of them had been discussing; Ayumi had her hand raised in the air and she was looking pointedly at Yuna, a wicked smirk on her face. Toushirou looked at Yuna and saw that her face was red with anger. He quickly and unnoticeably slipped the folded paper into his pocket as Maduko Sensei walked down the isle towards their desks.

"Hitsugaya, Amaterasu," she demanded, fists on her hips, "is this true?"

Before Yuna could say anything, Toushirou leaned back into his seat and stared at the teacher with his usual icy demeanor. "I have no idea what that girl is talking about," he told the teacher.

"But I saw Yuna pass something up to him!" Ayumi exclaimed from the back.

"My pen died," Toushirou said, holding up pen that was sitting on his desk. "I asked her if I could borrow one, so she let me and handed it to me."

"Well then," the teacher said, looking at Yuna. "Is that the truth, Amaterasu?"

"Yes," Yuna said.

"Then I see no problem here. Hikari, next time you interrupt my class, be sure that it is something important." The rest of the class snickered as the teacher walked back to the front and resumed her lesson.

Toushirou stole a quick glance back at Yuna and saw that the girl was looking out the window and for the first time he'd known her, her reiatsu was fluctuating and spiking a bit higher than usual. _That's different..._

**.:x:.**

"Yay! Lunch break! My favorite part of the day!"

"It's only your favorite part because you like to eat, Orihime," Rukia said with a smile, looking at the excited red-head.

"Yes, but I brought an extra special lunch today!" Orihime said, taking out her lunch bag and laying out its contents. "Peanut butter, salsa and tuna sandwich with chocolate covered hotdogs on a stick for desert!"

"You're so weird Orihime," Ichigo muttered.

They all sat in their usual spot under one of the trees in the quad, its long branches usually shading them during the summer months but with it now being fall, the trees were almost bare, but they all sat on a soft bed of fallen leaves. Toushirou leaned against the large trunk, legs stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles and his arms folded over his chest. Yuna sat beside him, her legs folded to one side, as she set out her own lunch on a napkin. "Eh, Toushirou," she said, snapping him out of his reverie. Her reiatsu had gone down, ever since they left the classroom and she stayed close alongside him, as if his presence had calmed her. "Did you bring anything for lunch?"

"No," he replied. "I didn't have time to make anything. I returned late and just had enough time to shower and dress once I returned into my gigai."

"Oh, well then," Yuna said and as he watched, she cut her sandwich in half and handed him one half. "It's left over turkey from dinner last night. It had been soaked in gravy while it cooked, so it's good. No mayonnaise or nothing."

Toushirou took it with a small smile of thanks, which sadly Rangiku caught and began gushing over it before he threw a nearby rock at her, telling her to shut up. Yuna just laughed and moved up so her back was resting against the tree trunk beside Toushirou. The two of them ate their sandwiches and Yuna set her bag of chips between them so he could pick at those as well. They even ended up splitting a can of soda. He couldn't help but feel at ease, doing this with Yuna, and the others didn't say anything but accepted it, even though it looked like Rangiku was holding herself back from hopping up and down in her spot. The mood around all of them, for what seemed like the first time in a while, was peaceful.

So of course, it had to be shattered.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here," a taunting voice said. "Kaia can you believe it? Yuna's replaced us with a bunch of _freaks _and her new _boyfriend_."

Toushirou, who had been taking a drink, began to choke at what Ayumi said. _Boyfriend?!_ He looked up and saw Ayumi and Yuna's other friend Kaia standing there with a couple boys behind them. Ayumi had a hand on her hip and was looking at Yuna coldly. "Guess we don't really matter anymore, not compared to these freaks."

"What do you want, Ayumi?" Yuna asked, glaring up at the other girl.

"I was just wondering why you rather hang out with these people than with your friends?"

"These people are my friends," Yuna said, "and they aren't freaks."

"Oh come on!" Ayumi exclaimed, gesturing to the people sitting around Yuna. "Two of them are bleached haired, one eats the weirdest food combos, not to mention 'ick', one is a foreigner, one is… well… Uryuu Ishida, one is totally obsessed with bunnies to the point that it's unhealthy…"

"Shut up!" Yuna said, jumping to her feet, glaring at Ayumi. "You don't know them, so don't pass judgment!"

"And what about him?" Ayumi barked, gesturing to Toushirou. "He can't be a decent person. He bleaches his hair, and he doesn't look nice at all. I can't believe you dumped your friends for someone…"

"You're not really my friends if you act like this and talk about my other friends that way!" Yuna exclaimed. "You don't know any of them…"

"You know what, whatever," Ayumi said, turning her nose up. "Go ahead, hang with these freaks. I guess they suit you after all…"

Toushirou's eyes widened when Yuna's reiatsu spiked… _high_. In fact, the force of it caused his chest to hurt, as if there was a huge weight on it. _Impossible! The source of that powerful reiatsu is... no..._ He sprang to his feet as Yuna lunged at Ayumi, her fist raised and ready to strike. He wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her back, knowing that if she laid a hit on the other girl she could seriously hurt Ayumi with all the spirit pressure coming from her.

"You bitch!" Yuna yelled, struggling against Toushirou. "You don't know _anything_ about me! You aren't a friend, you never were my friend! All you care about it popularity! You…"

"Yuna," Toushirou whispered, "please calm down."

"Let… me… _go_… Toushirou!"

"Yuna… please…"

Although he spoke softly so only she would hear him, his voice was pleading. It was enough. Yuna's reiatsu slowly went down and she ceased her struggling, collapsing back against him. He looked up at Ayumi, who was staring at Yuna in horror. "I suggest that you leave," he said, his voice cold once more. Ayumi and her friends nodded and they left, moving quickly. Once they were gone Toushirou released his hold on Yuna.

She turned and looked at him, down casting her eyes in slight shame. "I'm sorry…" she said. "It's just that when she started saying those things about you guys, I just got mad and…" She looked up then and saw all of them staring at her in shock. "W-what? What is it?"

"Yuna…" Toushirou said softly. "You… the reiatsu we've been looking for… it's you…"

Yuna stared at him, her face going pale. "No…" she whispered softly, shaking her head. "Toushirou… don't say that…"

"I'm sorry, but it is…" he admitted and behind him the others nodded, also in shock.

Yuna shook her head again, slowly backing away. "It can't be…" She then looked at Toushirou pleadingly and whispered, "What are you going to do with me?"

Something inside of the white haired Shinigami twisted up painfully. Usually, he would follow orders given and destroy the source of the reiatsu, or take it back to Soul Society so it could be retained in some way. But, this was Yuna, and he found himself, for the first time in a long while, being pulled in separate directions; either follow orders or go with his gut, or what some would call heart. "I…" he mumbled. "I… don't know…"

"Captain…" Rangiku said softly. "The Captain-Commander said…"

"I know what he said!" Toushirou snapped, whirling on Rangiku. "I just… I can't…" He spun around to look at Yuna, who stared at him, terrified of what he was going to say. "Yuna…"

"You're going to follow your orders, aren't you?" she whispered faintly.

"I…"

Yuna shook her head again, whispering, "No… this can't be happening…" Before Toushirou could say anything, she turned and ran.

Toushirou started after her, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked up to see Ichigo watching the girl run away. "Let her go," he said softly, looking down at Toushirou. "You need to make a choice, Toushirou. Talk to Yamamoto and think of a way to protect her."

Toushirou looked back to where Yuna ran off. "The Captain-Commander will want her dealt with… but…" For the first time, Toushirou didn't know what to do.

"I'll give you a hint of what you _could_ do," Ichigo said. "Who's someone else that you know of that has a high reiatsu?"

Toushirou looked back at Ichigo, his eyes widening when he realized what he was talking about. "It would never work," he said.

Ichigo shrugged and said, "You never know until you try."

**.:x:.**

"You had something to report, Captain Hitsugaya?" Yamamoto asked, looking at Toushirou through the communication screen.

"Yes," Toushirou replied, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "We've found the source of the strong reiatsu."

"Excellent," Yamamoto said, nodding to Toushirou. "Have you dealt with it, or will you be bringing it back to Soul Society to the 12th Division."

"Neither," Toushirou said. He could see the slight surprise in the Captain-Commander's face. "I… sir, the source is Yuna Amaterasu."

"A human girl?"

"Yes."

The Captain-Commander looked at Toushirou for a while before replying. "You are allowing your feelings for this woman to interfere with your orders."

Toushirou looked at the floor as he said, "Yes, but…" he looked back up at Yamamoto. "She can be trained. Allow me to train her. If she learns to control and harness her reiatsu and spirit energy, she may possibly have the strength to become a more powerful Shinigami than Ichigo Kurosaki. I will make sure that she causes no danger to this world or Soul Society. I will take all responsibility if any danger is to occur." He knew that that was a big thing to take, but he will do anything to make sure Yuna wasn't killed or placed into Mayuri Kurotshuchi's clutches. If anything were to go wrong, he was risking losing his rank and becoming exiled, if not executed.

The Captain-Commander was silent for a few minutes and for a moment, Toushirou was afraid that he was going to deny his request. Finally the old Shinigami gave a nod. "Alright," he said. "Your request is accepted. But, you are fully responsible for anything that may happen, Captain Hitsugaya. If she turns out to be too much of a danger, to Soul Society or the real world, she will be destroyed and you will suffer the punishment. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Toushirou said, nodding, relief filling him although he didn't allow it to show on his face, "quite clearly."

"You will give a report every week on her progress. That is all." Then Yamamoto signed off.

Toushirou released a heaving sigh of relief. A knock sounded behind him and he looked around to see Rangiku poke her head in. "Well?" his lieutenant asked, worry etched on her face.

Toushirou nodded and said, "He agreed." He wasn't about to tell the arrangement of the agreement, only that Yuna was going to be trained to control and harness her reiatsu and spirit energy.

"Yay!" Rangiku exclaimed and then looked behind her where he was sure the others were standing. "Captain-Commander agreed!"

Toushirou couldn't help but smile slightly with relief. For now, Yuna would be alright. Now it was the matter of finding her.

**.:x:.**

Toushirou sat on the rooftop of the Kurosaki home. Downstairs, he could hear Ichigo yelling at his father and the crashing sound of the older Kurosaki man being thrown halfway across a room, or down the stairs, either one. He sat with his knees drawn up, elbow propped on one knee with his hand under his chin. He stared out over Karakura Town, waiting… hoping that Yuna's reiatsu would flare, if just for a moment, so he could have _some_ idea where she was.

He thought that she would come back to them after she'd calm down, but at the same time a part of him said that she wouldn't, because of her fear of what they may do to her. _She's scared, so she's hiding._ He'd called her home, but one of the children had picked up and said that she hadn't returned home yet. He couldn't help but feel worry creeping up, taking over the relief that he'd been feeling ever since Yamamoto accepted his request.

"Toushirou?"

He looked around, surprised to see Karin walking towards him. She sat down next to him and gave him a small smirk. "I couldn't stand being down there for one more minute," she told him.

"Ah," he said, with a nod, before turning his focus back to the town.

"You're worried about her, aren't you?" Karin asked.

"Yeah…" he replied.

"Rangiku told me what's going on, if you're wondering…"

"I kind of figured…"

Karin was silent for a moment and then she sighed. "You like her… like, you _like_ her…"

Toushirou whipped his head around and stared at Karin. "What…?"

"You're in love with Yuna," Karin said, shrugging. "I guess that's the only way you can put it. When you look at her, or hear her voice, you feel like something is tingling inside of you, or pulling at you, right?"

"Y-yeah..."

"You love her," she said, looking at him with a smile. "Nothing to be ashamed about, Toushirou. You care about her, enough to risk everything just so she wouldn't be killed because of what she is."

"How… do you know that?" he said in surprise.

Karin laughed and said, "You forget I'm your friend, Toushirou! I know you more than you think I do. But seriously… don't be afraid. Go for it, if you really want to."

Toushirou looked back towards the town, deep in thought. He remembered the comfort he'd felt when she held him as he wept for Hinamori, how she always seemed to lighten his mood, no matter how moody he was, how he felt that very day when she sat beside him, how he felt at peace. He actually enjoyed that, and wanted that, even though the serious, stoic part of his mind said that as a Shinigami Captain of the Gotei 13, he didn't have time for these feelings, for a relationship or devotion like that. _Screw it, _he thought. _She's pulling at my soul, for Kami's sake! I think I need her, more than want her, with me._

_Before my heart becomes ice completely._

He looked over at Karin and smiled. "I think…" Suddenly, Yuna's reiatsu flared. Both his and Karin's heads whipped in the direction it was coming from. He could feel her terror, pain… slight anger. He jumped to his feet just as his phone began to beep, signaling a Hollow. He flipped it open and saw that the Hollow was in the same area that Yuna's reiatsu was coming from. Snapping his phone shut and pulling out the Soul Candy, he looked at Karin, who gave him a nod.

"Go after her," she said softly.

Toushirou nodded and he swallowed one of the small green pills. He burst out of his gigai with enough force to knock it back onto its rear. "Stay here," he ordered it and the soul inside it, before turning and shunpoing in the direction Yuna's reiatsu was now fluctuating.


	10. Chapter 9: I Will Protect You

Chapter Nine: I Will Protect You

Thunder rumbled in the sky as Toushirou ran across the rooftops, heading in the direction the Hollow and Yuna were at. The first few drops of rain fell on his face as he heard the roaring of the Hollow. He found them at the riverside, Yuna fighting against the Hollow with everything she had. By the time Toushirou's feet touched the ground, the rain was falling heavily from the sky and thunder cracked and boomed within the dark clouds, summoned by forks of lightening. The wind picked up, whipping the hem of his white captain's haori around. He ran at the Hollow, reaching over his shoulder for the hilt of Hyourinmaru.

Yuna's reiatsu was flaring, as was her spirit energy. Now that her reiatsu was released from whatever block or shield that had hidden it, her spirit energy was much higher than before, giving her more power. As he approached, Yuna jumped at the Hollow, bringing her fist down with a loud crack, causing the Hollow to scream and swipe at her as she flipped away. She landed lightly on her feet before going into a crouch to launch herself at the monster again for another attack.

Toushirou unsheathed Hyourinmaru and swung it down, slicing the Hollow's thick arm. This Hollow reminded him of a gorilla, except with a long tail and boar-like hind legs. Ice formed around the wound and slowly spread up the Hollow's arm. As Toushirou released his reiatsu, the temperature became colder and the rain slowly became snow. The Hollow roared again when his arm fell off which was now completely ice. He released the chain with the crescent-moon blade at the end from his hilt and threw it at the other arm. The chain wrapped around the arm and began to turn that into ice as well. He pulled at the chain, breaking off the Hollow's arm. "Yuna, finish it off now!" he called, looking over at Yuna.

Yuna ran at the Hollow and using spirit energy, she jumped high. Bringing her fist back, she slammed it through the white skull mask into its head with a large burst of light the color of fire. The Hollow let out one last roar before it dissolved away into nothing. Toushirou let out a sigh as he sheathed Hyourinmaru. "Well," he said, "at least we know your attacks are purifying, like a Zanpakutoh, so maybe you can…" He had to duck as Yuna slung an attack on him.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Yuna cried, glaring at him. "There's a reason why I didn't go back!"

"Yuna… please wait a minute…"

"No! I won't let you kill me for something I didn't do!" Yuna lunged at him again, but this time he was prepared for her. He grabbed her and pulled her close to him, holding her to his chest. She struggled against him, screaming at him before finally giving up and sagged against him, sobbing into his chest. Toushirou sighed softly as he ran his fingers though her hair, both of their reiatsus going down, and the snow returned to rain. He stood there, holding her to him as she cried.

"Come on," Toushirou said softly after a while, gathering her into his arms, holding her bridal style close to him. "I'll take you home."

Yuna didn't say anything, but pressed her face into his chest. Toushirou used Shunpo to get to Yuna's house, the rain stinging his exposed skin. He reached Yuna's house in less than ten minutes and instead of going through the front, he went to Yuna's window and, after opening it, went through. His feet touched the wooden floor silently in the dark room. He let Yuna down onto the bed before turning to head back out the window. _She doesn't want me around... not now..._ He stepped up onto the window sill and was about to leave when Yuna's voice spoke softly behind him.

"You're just gonna leave…?"

Toushirou looked around at her. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at him with tear-washed eyes. "Yeah…" he said. "I said I would take you home and I figure you don't want me around…"

"You're not going to kill me…?" Yuna asked, her voice so small that it twisted Toushirou's heart.

"No…"

"What?"

Toushirou sighed and stepped off the sill, walking over to her. "I'm not… following my orders. I'm not going to kill you, or take you to Soul Society like I intended to… before I knew that it was you."

"But you're a Captain," Yuna said, jumping to her feet and looking at him. "You told me that you see to follow out your duties as a Captain…"

"I talked with the Captain-Commander," he said, cutting her off. "I told him that it was you… and that I wasn't going to destroy you, or take you to Soul Society to become an experiment. I managed to convince him that you can be trained to become a Shinigami, to learn to control your reiatsu and spirit energy. I said that I would take you into my responsibility, and suffer the consequences if anything that you do threatens the real world or Soul Society. I'm risking a great deal so you won't be killed…" He ducked again as Yuna threw another punch at him, anger glinting in her eyes.

"Idiot!" she exclaimed, glaring at him. "Why would you do that?! You're risking everything to protect _me_?! I can't be worth risking your life for…"

Toushirou grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her angrily. "You're the idiot!" he yelled at her, before remembering that there were people sleeping in the house. He lowered his voice to a hiss as he said, "You are worth the risk. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I'll protect you…" He blinked, surprised at the words that came out of his mouth. Yuna seemed to as well because her eyes widened slightly.

"Did you just say that you'll protect me?" she asked softly.

"Y-yeah…"

"Did you mean it? Really?"

He looked at Yuna, trying to organize his thoughts and feelings that were jumbled up inside of him. Did he really mean it, truthfully? And were his feelings for her real and not just illusions summoned up by Hinamori's death? The voices of Yamamoto and Karin from earlier that day sounded in his head again:

"_You are allowing your feelings for this woman to interfere with your orders."_

"_You care about her, enough to risk everything just so she wouldn't be killed because of what she is."_

Toushirou realized that he'd already made a decision, the moment he went after her from the Kurosaki rooftop that night. He gave her a small smile and nodded. "Yeah," he said, "I mean it."

Tears slid from Yuna's eyes and she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "I'm glad," she said softly. "I'm glad knowing that you are looking out for me."

Toushirou wrapped his arms around Yuna, holding her close to him. Both were still dripping wet from the rain, but neither seemed to care. After a while, they slowly began to pull away until their faces were inches from each other. He found himself slowly inching his face closer to hers, staring into her violet, almost amethyst, colored eyes before he slowly closed his own and he brushed his lips against hers. For the first time in his life, at least it felt like it was, he was hesitant, nervous on how Yuna was going to react. He didn't pull away, but he didn't press onward, leaving an opening for her to decide what to do next, to give her a chance to pull away if she wanted, although he willed that she didn't.

His wish was granted when she pressed her lips back onto his. Their lips moved slowly and lightly against one another and Toushirou couldn't help but feel a warmth, a blissful security, wrap around his ice-shrouded heart. His skin felt extremely hot and icy cold at the same time and his lips tingled as they moved against Yuna's. His reiatsu peaked as indescribable and unfamiliar feelings and emotions raced through him. He could sense that Yuna was having similar feelings and emotions just by the way her reiatsu seemed to pulse, getting higher and higher with each pulse. Just when he thought he was going to burst, did they finally pull away from lack of air.

He opened his eyes and watched as Yuna slowly opened her own. They were brighter than he'd ever seen them and seemed to glow when she gave him a small smile. He returned her smile with one of his own which then shifted into a frown when she began to shiver slightly. He rubbed her arms and felt the goosebumps that covered her skin and then realized that with his raised reiatsu, he caused the temperature in the room to drop slightly. _Damn..._ "You're freezing…" he muttered softly. "You should get changed into something warm."

"Y-yeah…" Yuna said, nodding, before she pulled away from his embrace and went over to her dresser, pulling out a flannel pajama set. She looked back over to him and asked, "Will you still be here?"

Toushirou nodded and watched as she walked out, opening and closing the door silently so not to wake anyone in the sleeping house. Using a bit of kidou, he dried himself off and shrugged off his white captain's haori, draping it onto a chair, before sitting on the edge of the bed. He subconsciously brushed his lips with his fingers, still able to feel her lips on his. It had felt incredible! All these emotions and feelings, they were so new to him, so foreign, that he just couldn't describe them whatsoever. Another thought crept into his mind: _That was my first kiss..._ He now couldn't help but wonder if it had been Yuna's as well.

He looked up when Yuna returned, dressed in a pair of blue and white flannel pajamas. She closed the door silently behind her before moving over to the bed. Toushirou stood and pulled the blankets back so she could crawl into bed. He pulled them back over her, tucking her in as he eased himself back down onto the edge of the bed. Yuna yawned and he smiled as her eyes began to droop slightly. "Toushirou…" she said softly.

"Yeah?"

"Will you stay tonight?" she asked him, her eyes locking with his own.

He nodded and said, "Sure, if you want me to."

Yuna nodded and closed her eyes with a content sigh. Toushirou leaned down and placed a light kiss onto her forehead. He brushed a few strands of hair from her face as he felt her reiatsu sink low and steady, indicating that she was slipping off into sleep.

"Good-night, Yuna," he whispered softly.

**.:x:.**

Yuna woke up to sunlight streaming in through her window. She blinked a few times, gaining back her sight as sleep left her eyes. She then realized that she wasn't alone in her bed, like she was use to. She could feel the warmth of another person pressed against her back, with two strong arms holding her close. She could hear and feel the steady breathing behind her, indicating that the person still slept. She knew who it was before she slowly began to turn, so not to disturb the sleeping person, to look at their face.

She couldn't help but smile at the sight of Toushirou sleeping beside her, his arms around her waist. Without the usual scowl that marred his features, he looked so peaceful in his sleep, so content. His face was smooth and calm, and so breath-takingly gorgeous that it caused something in Yuna's mid-section to flutter. She gently stroked the side of his face with her fingers, running them up through his soft white hair. It was then she realized that he was in his gigai, meaning that he'd left sometime during the night while she slept. Shaking away the feeling from the thought of him leaving her when he said that he would stay, she continued to gently stroke his hair until he let out a soft grunt, followed by a moan, before he opened his eyes, which were slightly glazed from sleep.

"Good morning," she said softly, bringing her hand down to rest on the bed between them.

"Morning…" he muttered, stifling a yawn. He brought up a hand to run his fingers through his already disheveled hair. "What time is it?"

"Not sure," Yuna said, shrugging. "Maybe eight, what I'm guessing." She then gave him an accusing look and said, "You left last night, after you said you wouldn't."

"I know, sorry," he replied, giving her a small smile. Yuna couldn't help but feel a slight thrill that his face still held almost all of the same peacefulness he had had while sleeping. "I left so I could return to my gigai, but I came immediately back here. I wasn't gone for more than fifteen minutes. I just figured it would be more convenient if I returned to it last night than sometime today, seeing as I'm probably going to spend the day with you."

"It's alright," Yuna said with a smile. "And really, you're going to spend the day with me?"

"I'm not the leave-in-the-next-morning type of guy," Toushirou said. "Besides, unless something big comes up, I thought we could start your training a little bit today."

"Oh yeah," Yuna said, rolling her eyes. "Fun…"

Toushirou laughed slightly and pulled her closer to him. "Or you can just relax for today, seeing as all of this was dropped on you so suddenly, and we can start training tomorrow at Urahara's."

"I like that plan better, although it's so unlike you."

"What can I say; you make me do things that are so unlike me."

"Guess I have some sort of spell over you or something."

"Or something… I don't think you're powerful enough to control me."

"Hey, I could kick your ass any day."

"I'm not saying you can't, because I know you probably could… only because I'll be going easy on you because you're a girl."

"Choke and die…"

Toushirou laughed again and Yuna couldn't help but smile at their playful bickering. She knew that no way in hell would Toushirou act this way in front of the others, but when it was just the two of them, he allowed his icy demeanor to drop and she liked that.

He brushed a strand of her hair away from her face before pressing his lips against hers. Yuna couldn't help but let out a soft moan, which caused him to shift position so he was on top of her, propping himself up with his elbows on either side of her. Their kiss turned deep and passionate when he flicked his tongue at her lips which she parted so he could enter. She slid her hands up under the white tank top he wore, running them over the smooth muscled planes of his back. Despite having such a cold reiatsu and Zanpakutoh, he was surprisingly warm.

Toushirou moved his kisses down to her neck and Yuna started to giggle softly. "We're gonna have to stop this before it gets too out of control," she told him, although her voice was breathless.

She heard him moan softly before he asked, "Why?"

"Because we're in a house full of kids younger than twelve that could barge in at any moment."

Toushirou grunted and after planting a final kiss on her collarbone and then her lips, he moved himself off of her and out of bed in one fluid movement. She sat up to the edge of the bed as he stretched his arms over his head. Along with the tank top he wore blue sweat pants that hung low on his hips. Yuna stood up and walked to her closet, picking out her clothing for the day. When she turned back to face Toushirou, she saw that he already was taking out clothing from a bag he'd brought after retrieving his gigai. "I'm going to the bathroom to get dressed and all."

He nodded and Yuna walked out of her room. She could hear the children playing around somewhere in the house as she made her way to the bathroom. After locking the door behind her so she wouldn't be disturbed, she quickly undressed and jumped into the shower. As the warm water ran over her, soaking her hair, making it darken and cling to her back and shoulders, she thought of the night before.

There had been so much sincerity in Toushirou's eyes when he told her that he would do anything for her, just so she would stay safe. The feelings she sensed from him when they shared their first kiss had all been real. Yuna had always been a bit empathic, being able to sense someone's feeling and all; she just never thought that it linked to one's reiatsu. She'd been able to sense Toushirou's feelings quite more clearly than the others, ever Ichigo's, who definitely had a much higher reiatsu than Toushirou did. Why though? Could it possibly be the connection they somehow shared, or what she believed was a connection? Yuna sighed as she finished washing. She was going to have to talk to Urahara on this one, privately.

She got out of the shower, dried off and dressed. While standing in front of the mirror, she pulled her hair up into a part terra-twist, part ponytail, and then created a few thin braids to loop loosely around and hang from it. Her long bangs were separated at the center and hung on either side of her face. It involved a lot of bobby-pins and a little bit of hair spray but within ten to fifteen minutes, she had her hair up securely. She then put on some dark green eyeliner with light green eye shadow, making the violet color of her eyes stand out more vividly. Seeing that that was all the make-up she wore, she stepped back and looked at herself in the mirror. She wore a simple pale yellow baby tee with a white long sleeved shirt underneath and dark jeans. _Wonder what Toushirou is planning to do today?_ Yuna thought to herself.

Sighing she grabbed her pajamas and left the bathroom, returning to her bedroom. She found Toushirou dressed, sitting on her made bed and with his Shinigami Cellular Phone out. She folded her pajamas and placed them on the end of her bed to use again before sitting down next to Toushirou. "What's going on?" she asked.

Toushirou sighed and closed the phone with a usual snap. The usual icy demeanor and scowl was back on his face but when he turned to look at her, there was warmth in his eyes. "There's been a report on Arrancar in the area, so we all have to check it out."

"All as in… me too?"

"No," he said firmly. "You may be able to take out Hollows easily, but you aren't ready for an Arrancar."

Yuna gave Toushirou a look and she couldn't stop her stubborn streak from coming out. "I'm a lot stronger than you think, Toushirou," she argued. "I think I could handle…"

"Yuna," Toushirou said softly, stopping her in mid-sentence. He turned his body to face her and held her gently by the shoulders. "Please, just trust me. You aren't ready yet. I don't want anything to happen to you. As of right now, this is something for the Shinigami to handle. Please Yuna…"

Looking into his eyes, Yuna saw the pleading there, something she never saw in his eyes. She felt herself give in and she nodded. "Alright," she said, "as long as you promise that nothing will happen to you."

Toushirou looked away, his eyes darkening slightly. "I can't promise…"

"Toushirou…"

"Alright, I promise that I'll be careful. Is that enough?"

Yuna nodded and said, "Yeah, it is." She then pulled him into an embrace, resting her head on his shoulder. "As long as you're careful."

After a while, the two pulled apart and he placed a quick kiss on her lips before taking her hand. "Come on," he said softly. "We should get going."

They walked down the steps, where they immediately ran into a few children. The children stopped and watched as Yuna and Toushirou began to dress for the outside. They looked at Toushirou one last time before going into a fit of giggles. Yuna looked up from wrapping her soft blue and white knitted scar and was about to open her mouth to retort something to the children, but Kaede beat her to it.

"That's enough, children," the old lady said, walking out from the living room. "Get going now."

The children ran off as Kaede approached them. Yuna was afraid that she was going to start to question why Toushirou was there, but instead the woman smiled and asked, "Heading out?"

"Yeah," Toushirou said, nodding. "There's something I need to do."

"And I'm just gonna walk him to where he has to go, and then do a little bit of grocery shopping for you," Yuna said. "I noticed we're running a bit low on a few things."

"That would be nice, thank you Yuna," Kaede said with a smile. The two of them finished getting ready and Toushirou swung his bag up onto his shoulders. Just as they were about to head out, Kaede grabbed Toushirou's arm, holding him back. Toushirou looked at the old woman, confusion in his eyes although his face remained the same. Yuna felt her stomach drop, expecting the questioning to begin. But instead, Kaede looked at Toushirou and gave him a grateful smile.

"Thank you," she said softly, "for bringing her home last night."

Surprise flashed across his face for a brief moment before he gave Kaede a nod. The old woman returned the nod and released Toushirou's arm. Yuna gave Kaede a smile before opening the door and the two of them walked out.


	11. Chapter 10: Fire and Ice

Chapter Ten: Fire and Ice

As soon as Toushirou left Yuna and his gigai at Urahara's, he began to set off in the direction the Arrancar were said to have been spotted. He was soon joined by Matsumoto and the two of them shunpoed over the rooftops. The tenth division captain could sense the reiatsu of the other Shinigami heading in the same direction, coming from different parts of the town. They all arrived at a clearing in the middle of the woods that surrounded the park. Toushirou looked at the others and asked, "Can you sense anything?"

"Nothing…" Ichigo growled, a hand wrapped around the hilt of his Zanpakutoh, Zangetsu. "I felt them for a while when coming this way, but now, it's like they vanished."

Toushirou frowned and reached over his own shoulder for Hyourinmaru. Suddenly, he felt a flare of reiatsu and had enough time to yell, "Look out!" and jumping away before a large explosion struck where the small group had been standing. Cursing, he looked up to see three Arrancar standing in the air, using the spirit particles that flowed in the air to hold them there. All three had black hair and, something that none of them had seen before, the gold and black eyes of Hollows. They all had on the usual white kimono, tied with a black obi, and trimmed with black and long white coat that all the Arrancar Toushirou had seen wore.

The one who attacked had his hair cut short and was stocky built with broad shoulders, although he was tall. His Hollow mask obscured his forehead and left eye. "Tck, I missed," he said, with a smirk.

"We were told not to kill them, brother," the tallest of the three said. This one had long hair that was partly covered by his Hollow mask that covered the top of his head and trailed down into spikes as it went down his hair. He was slim and lanky, his hand on the Zanpakutoh at his side.

"Let him have his fun," the last of the Arrancar said. This one seemed to be the leader of the trio, his hair cut to shoulder length and streaked with blue and red. He pushed up his Hollow mask as he spoke, which covered the top part of his face and had blue and red stripes on it to match his hair, so it rested above his forehead. "Besides, they weren't paying any attention."

"Who are you?" Ichigo demanded, taking a fighting stance.

"We're looking for the one with that strong reiatsu," the leader said with a smirk. "Aizen-sama is most interested in her."

"Aizen?!" Toushirou exclaimed, staring up at the Arrancar. "He's dead! I killed him myself!"

The taller one tilted his head and said, "So you are Hitsugaya Toushirou… Aizen said that you are an interesting one as well, didn't he Zen?"

"Yeah, I remember," the big one said with a grin. "Said he wanted him as well and that he could lead us to her."

"So where is she?" the leader asked again.

"I'm not telling you," Toushirou hissed, unsheathing Hyourinmaru.

"We figured as much," the leader said, shrugging, "as did Aizen-sama. Guess we'll have to do it the hard way." He began to unsheathe his Zanpakutoh but the taller one stopped him.

"You remember what Aizen-sama said, right Kaze?" he asked.

Kaze growled, but he re-sheathed his sword before looking down at the Shinigami. "Hate to chat and run, because I would really love to kill you right now, but it's not the time, sadly. Just try to remember us, for future reference: we're the Asaki brothers: Kaze, Sazuki and Zen." Then the sky ripped open and swallowed the three Arrancar.

"Damn…" Toushirou whispered.

"Captain…?"

"Aizen… he's alive… how…?"

"I don't know," Ichigo said, running a hand through his hair, "and I don't like the situation anymore than the rest of us. Aizen being alive changes everything…"

"And he's after Yuna," Renji said, "meaning he knows how powerful she can be, and already is."

"He won't get her," Toushirou vowed softly. "I won't let him."

Silence fell over them, which was soon broken by the sounds of Hollows roaring in the distance. Sighing, Toushirou looked up and said, "Let's go. Once we take care of the Hollows, we need to report to the Captain-Commander."

"Right," Ichigo, Rukia, Renji and Rangiku chorused before they all headed in the direction of the Hollows.

**.:x:.**

"Is something bothering you, Yuna?" Urahara asked her.

Yuna looked down at her tea cup, staring at the tiny reflection of herself in the dark liquid. Sighing, she set the cup down on the table in front of her and looked up at Urahara. "Yeah, there has been something, or things, that have been bothering me, and I wanted to talk to you about."

Urahara nodded and made a gesture with his hand, indicating for her to go ahead.

Yuna sighed and began to fiddle with the cup, turning it slowly in place. "I've been able to know how someone is feeling for a while, and I always figured that it's because I'm sensitive and caring if you will. But, ever since I have been with Tou- I mean, Captain Hitsugaya and the others, not only have I been able to sense their feelings, but feel them as well. It's not really bad, more like a quick wave, just enough so I know what it is, but still… What could it be?"

Urahara frowned at her and said, "I believe that you could possibly have empathy, the experiencing as one's own of the feelings of another. It's quite rare for both souls and humans. Perhaps with your powerful reiatsu, it stemmed up from your ability to know how someone is feeling, and you can only feel another's feelings if they have a strong reiatsu like a Shinigami. Probably the higher the reiatsu, the more strongly the feelings come to you…"

"But that's another thing…" Yuna said softly, looking up at Urahara, knowing that the man won't judge. "I feel everyone else's feelings at the same amount, despite their level of reiatsu, but… but…"

"What is it, Yuna?"

"Captain Hitsugaya… his feelings come to me so strong that it's almost like they are my own."

"Ah," Urahara said, nodding. "Perhaps that stems from the relationship you have formed with our young captain."

Yuna blinked and stared at him. "How did you…?"

"My dear, I may act daft sometimes, but it doesn't mean that I don't notice things as simple, and yet complex, as that."

Yuna smiled slightly, which slowly returned to a frown. "I think it may be more than our relationship…"

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since I bumped into him at school, the first time we met, I've always felt some sort of _connection_ to him. When I look at him, I feel something tugging at me, at my soul. I never experienced anything like it before. It's like… we're linked or something… I don't know…"

Urahara frowned and said, "This is something I've never heard of. I have heard of soul mates, but I think this may go deeper than that. I will have to look into it. Don't mind me if you notice me study the two of you next time I see you together."

Yuna laughed and said, "Alright, and I'll make sure Toushirou doesn't try to pound you into the ground for staring."

"Yes, that would be nice, thank you."

**.:x:.**

Toushirou walked towards Yuna's house, lost in thought. His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his blue jacket, which was only half way zipped up, showing the orange and white high necked zip-up sweater he wore underneath. The sweater was un-zipped to just above his chest, but the white scarf he wore around his neck kept out the chill, although it was a temperature he was quite use to. The blue jeans he wore hugged his hips comfortably and he wore sneakers on his feet. The wind picked up, tousling his white hair slightly, but it didn't jar him from his thoughts.

Aizen was alive, after he, Toushirou, had killed the man, watched him die, watched the light leave his evil eyes. He couldn't understand how the man had been brought back, but he knew that he had to stop him, because once again, he was after something of Toushirou's that was precious: Yuna. _I won't let him take her, and I won't let him use her for his evil deeds. I'll protect her with my life... even though I vowed to never protect anyone that way again. But Yuna changed that... hell, she changed a lot about me._ He looked up and saw that he was approaching her driveway. He turned up it and returned back to his thoughts. _What's so different about Yuna that she's caused some of the walls around my heart to crack? How was she able to stir up feelings that I've never felt for anyone before? How was she able to get into my heart?_

Toushirou looked up when he heard the sounds of children playing and saw that they were all outside, even Zack although the boy was wrapped up with several thick blankets and sat on the porch with Kaede. He smiled when he saw Yuna playing with the children, which looked like soccer, and he realized that the questions that had been buzzing in his mind earlier didn't matter. _I'm just glad that I found her. I know I love her and that she feels the same, and I guess that's all that really matters._

The soccer ball that Yuna and the children were kicking around ended up heading in his direction. Toushirou lifted a foot and stopped it from its quick decent down the lawn towards the driveway. He smiled slightly as Marlene ran after the ball and stopped a few feet away in front of him, looking up at him nervously. He rolled the ball so it was on top of his foot and, with a flick of his foot, he tossed the ball up into the air and caught it. He walked up to Marlene and crouched in front of her, holding the ball to her. "Be careful," he told her. "You don't want to lose this, do you?"

Marlene shook her head and took the ball from Toushirou, returning his smile. "Thank you," she said, before turning to run back to the children, almost plowing into Yuna as the young woman walked over to Toushirou.

He stood as Yuna smiled and said, "You got a way with kids."

He shrugged and said, "You say that as if I'm cold and heartless." He then gave Yuna a look and said, "Don't respond to that…"

Yuna giggled softly and reached for his hand. She was wearing white knitted gloves, a cream colored faux suede, lined with faux shearling, jacket, jeans and her skater sneakers. Her hair was in the same way as when he last saw her earlier that day and seemed to glow like molten gold in the setting sunlight. As he took her hand, the children began calling out to Yuna, telling her to come back and play. Yuna led him back towards the group of children.

As they approached, Marlene stepped forward and asked, "Is Toushirou going to play with us?"

Yuna looked at him and asked, "How 'bout it? Do you want to play soccer with me and the kids?"

Toushirou shrugged and said, "Sure, why not?"

Marlene clapped her hands excitedly and the children all began to chatter happily, determining teams. Yuna hushed them all, saying that she and Toushirou would be team captains and would choose teams. After about ten minutes of dividing the children into two teams and marking boundaries again, they began to play. Yuna and Toushirou faced off and Yuna gave him a smile, saying softly, "No cheating, _Shinigami_," before she kicked the ball over to one of her teammates.

Toushirou made sure that he kept it easy with the children, allowing them to take the ball from him from time to time and being careful when he kicked the ball into the goal so he wouldn't hurt the smaller goal-keeper. By the time darkness began to settle and Kaede said that it was time for the children to come inside and get ready for bed, he found that he had actually enjoyed playing with the young ones. Marlene especially he seemed to link with, and she with him, and as he helped Yuna herd the kids into the house, the young girl jumped onto his back and said, "Come on, Shirou-kun, inside quick, before Yuna!"

He felt something drop in his stomach and for a moment he felt a wave of sadness. He pushed it away when he saw Yuna glance towards his direction and smiled back at Marlene. "Alright, then." Then he and the rest of the girls went into the house and Toushirou herded them into their bedroom before walking out so they could ready for bed.

He went back in to tuck them in. As he was about to walk out, Marlene said, "Shirou-kun, do you know any good stories?"

He turned as the other girls all nodded and mumbled softly. Toushirou sat on a chair, facing the girls, and said, "I know a few, but it's been a while…"

"Come on, try to remember."

"Alright…" he said, thinking. He finally thought of one. He hadn't heard it since he was still in Rukongai with Hinamori and the thought of her caused his heart to twist slightly. He sighed and began to tell the story his old childhood friend had told him years ago:

"Long ago, there was a Shinigami that fought in a battle and was close to death. As he awaited for the darkness to fall over him, a powerful dragon came to him, granting him a chance to live again, to get a second chance. The dragon said that it was not yet his time to die, that something awaited him on the horizon. The Shinigami agreed to this second chance and found himself melding with the dragon, the two souls becoming one. The dragon granted the Shinigami great power, and the ability to weld water and ice as a weapon and to control the weather.

"He learned that the dragon was looking for someone, someone who was more linked to his soul than the Shinigami was. Both the Shinigami and the dragon searched for this being, but in vain. Finally, the dragon gave up, seeing that the one he sought was lost and the Shinigami returned home.

Several hundred years later, the Shinigami found himself in the real world and while he was there, he met a mortal woman and soon the two of them fell in love. It wasn't accepted in the world where the Shinigami came from for him to love a mortal, for any Shinigami to love a mortal, but he felt such a connection to this woman that he cast aside all the rules and everything that he'd followed for centuries.

"One day, a powerful Hollow appeared before the Shinigami and injured him greatly, to the point where even the dragon was weakened. Suddenly, the mortal woman came between him and the Hollow and unleashed a great power. The next thing the Shinigami knew, a beautiful bird of fire, a phoenix, flew from the heavens to aid the woman. The two beings became one and the woman now could take the form of a Shinigami and wielded the power of fire. She defeated the Hollow before turning to the Shinigami and healing him.

"The Shinigami felt a powerful connection between him and the woman and it was then that the dragon of ice proclaimed that the phoenix of fire had been the one he sought for years ago. With the bonding of the two mystical beings to the Shinigami and the human, a bond formed that nothing could shatter.

"Although she could leave her body in the form of a Shinigami, the woman was still a mortal, and the proof of that came to light when she was killed in a great battle. The Shinigami, grief-stricken, held his fallen phoenix as he wept in the rain. He kissed her still warm lips and suddenly, a great light surrounded the two of them. The woman opened her eyes, alive and now immortal.

"It is said that the two lovers lived and fought together, their powers, although complete opposites, immense when joined together. But when the two of them died, side by side, the dragon and phoenix left the bodies but took their souls, keeping the bond between them whole so they could always be together, even if they are reborn and are separated between worlds like they had been before."

Toushirou remembered that when he had first heard this story, he scoffed it off as being a mushy love story. But now, since he was older, he could see some meaning behind the story: two very separate beings could be together. Fire and Ice, elements that could take out the other, joined together to become an even more powerful unit. The story was also tugging on something in the back of his mind, but he pushed it away and ignored it. He smiled slightly when he saw that the girls were either asleep, or close to it. Standing, he quietly slipped out of the room.

He heard soft footsteps as he closed the door behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Kaede walking towards him. "They are asleep?" she asked him.

He nodded and said, "Yeah, I old them a story I heard when I was a kid. Put them out like a light."

Kaede chuckled and nodded. "Yes, the girls like their bedtime stories." She then smiled and said, "Yuna put the boys to bed a while ago and she's now waiting for you in her room."

Toushirou smiled and said, "Thanks." He turned to head towards Yuna's room when what Kaede said next stopped him in his tracks.

"Take care of her, Shinigami… she's more important to you then you may think."

Toushirou whipped around to stare at Kaede, his icy façade gone from his features. The old woman just smiled once more before walking past him and into her bedroom. He watched her until her door closed softly behind her, shock still going through him like electricity. _How does she...?_ Shaking his head, he started towards Yuna's bedroom. Somehow, Kaede knew a lot more than she put out, but how did she find out that he was a Shinigami?


	12. Chapter 11: Starting the Training

Chapter Eleven: Starting the Training

Toushirou slowly opened the door to Yuna's room, peeking in before fully entering and closing the door behind him. Yuna was sitting on her bed in a pair of blue flannel pajama bottoms and a white spaghetti-strap top, un-doing the thin braids in her hair, her back turned towards him slightly. This was the first time Toushirou had seen her bare shouldered for the most part and was slightly surprised to see a tattoo of a flaming blue and white phoenix in flight on her right shoulder blade. It had a long graceful neck of a swan, a head and beak of a falcon, and two long dark blue tail feathers that flowed around its body that turned to flames near the ends. It was a very unique image of a phoenix, one that Toushirou hadn't seen before.

Yuna released the rest of her hair, allowing it to drop over her shoulders and obscuring the tattoo from view. She looked at him and smiled. "Girls sleeping now?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied, nodding. He sat down beside her and gently swept her hair over to her left shoulder with one hand, and caressed the phoenix on her shoulder with the fingers of his other hand. "When did you get this?" he asked her.

"A year or so ago," Yuna replied. "Kaede said one time that I had the heart of a phoenix and that no matter what happens, I seem to always rise back from the ashes. I found myself drawing the image of the phoenix that came to my mind when she said that and about a week later, I took the drawing to a tattooist and had him do that on my shoulder. I have no idea why that image of a phoenix came to my mind, it just did. Probably because I'm a unique person and so my heart is of a unique phoenix."

"Heart and soul, perhaps," Toushirou said softly before gently kissing her shoulder directly on the tattoo. "It's beautiful, and it suits you."

Yuna looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. Her smile then slipped slightly and she asked, "Something was troubling you when you came in… what's up?"

Toushirou sighed and his hands moved to start rubbing Yuna's shoulders, working the muscle in circular motions. "Something Kaede said… Yuna, she knows I'm a Shinigami."

Yuna sighed and nodded. "I know," she admitted. "Kaede knows a lot of things… she… she was a Shinigami once…"

Toushirou blinked with surprise. "What?"

"She wasn't high ranked or anything, but after a battle against a hollow that costs the lives of several of her comrades, she placed herself in self-exile and came here, where she began to take in orphan children. I think she blamed herself for those deaths and she was tired of seeing people she considered friends dying in front of her, so she quit. Besides, she never really wanted to become a Shinigami, but wanted to live a quiet life. She told me all of this when you and Urahara began training me to control my spiritual powers and warned me to be careful, but that she supported me in any decision I made."

"So she must have known about your high reiatsu."

"Yeah and she told me that she was terrified for my safety when you began to hang around me and was afraid of what you would do to me when you found out. She was relieved when she realized that you weren't going to harm me in any way."

"She told me to take care of you, and that you were more important to me than I may think."

"Kaede," Yuna said slowly with a small smile, "has lived for a long time and has always known more than what she's saying."

"Kinda like Urahara…" Toushirou murmured.

Yuna laughed quietly and said, "No, I think she's not as senile as Urahara."

"Probably not…" he replied. He slid his arms around her shoulders and pulled her against his chest. "But she doesn't have to worry. I will take care of you."

The girl in his arms nodded and turned her face into the curve of his neck. "And I'll be there for you, whenever you need me," she said.

Toushirou buried his nose into her golden hair, inhaling the spicy exotic, clean scent of her that was Yuna's and Yuna's alone. He could faintly smell her perfume; vanilla laced with lavender. Her scent was exactly the same as he remembered it the first time he'd seen her: the day she bumped into him in the hall. The two of them basked in the silence, just enjoying the other's company.

A timid knock sounded on the door and Toushirou looked up as the door opened slowly, revealing Marlene in her long white t-shirt that she wore as a nightgown. "Hey Marlene," Yuna said softly, sitting up. "What's wrong?"

"I had a nightmare…" Marlene said softly. "A big Hollow came and took you and Shirou-kun away."

Toushirou smiled and stood up, walking over to Marlene. He lifted her up and said, "Don't worry; no Hollow is going to take me or Yuna away. Now, let's get you back to bed. You have school tomorrow." Taking a quick glance at Yuna, who smiled warmly, he carried Marlene back to her room.

As he tucked her in, Marlene looked at him with big green eyes. "Shirou-kun…?"

"Yes, Marlene?"

"You're a Shinigami, aren't you?"

Toushirou blinked and looked at Marlene with surprise. "What makes you say that?"

"I remember seeing you," she said. "That day when you killed the Hollow that tried to hurt me and Yuna. It was you, I remember."

Toushirou smiled and brushed back the girl's bangs. "Yes, that was me, but you have to keep it a secret, okay. No one can know what I am, alright?"

Marlene nodded and then asked, "Will you be there the next time I need to be protected?"

"I'll try to be."

The little girl nodded again and buried under the covers more, closing her eyes. She then opened them again and asked, "Is Yuna a Shinigami too?"

"No, but she may have the power to become one," he told her.

Marlene smiled and said, "She'll be a good Shinigami, like you, Shirou-kun. Then I'll have two Shinigamis to protect me." She then closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.

Toushirou smiled and stood up. He took one last look at the little girl before walking out of the room.

**.:x:.**

"Captain stayed the night at a girl's house!" Rangiku shrieked the next day where they were all gathered under the tree during lunch break. "I'm_so_ excited! Captain's growing up!"

"Still looks short to me… OW!" Ichigo rubbed the back of his head where Yuna threw a rock at him from where she sat with her back against the tree beside Toushirou. He looked over his shoulder at Yuna and glared at the blonde. "What was that for?"

"So Toushirou didn't go _Bankai_ on you," Yuna said with a grin. "I think that would have hurt worse than a rock to the head."

"But it's not as satisfying," Toushirou said, wrapping his arm around Yuna's shoulders, his other arm resting on an upraised knee. His icy façade was back on his face but his eyes glinted with slight amusement.

Ichigo glared at the both of them before turning back around and muttering, "Cocky little bastard… OW! WHAT THE HELL!?" He whipped around after another rock, larger this time, hit him in the same spot.

Yuna grinned and said, "I'd quit while you're ahead if I were you."

"Gotta admit though," Renji said with a wicked grin. "The girl's got good aim."

"But it can't be that hard," Rukia said, taking a drink from her juice box. "He has a big head to begin with."

Ichigo glared between Rukia and Renji, Yuna and Toushirou. "I hate you all…"

Toushirou rolled his eyes as Renji and Rukia cackled gleefully. Yuna sighed and relaxed, leaning against Toushirou. It was apparent to the others that there was something going on between Yuna and Toushirou, and the two of them wouldn't have been able to hide it if they tried. So Toushirou still kept up his icy, captain demeanor while he was around the others, but he let it be known that Yuna was his.

"So, when's my first training session?" Yuna asked, looking up at Toushirou.

"After school," he replied, "at Urahara's. He'll be taking over the first part; bringing out your Shinigami powers. Then you will have to learn the name of your Zanpakutoh, and that's where I come in. Just to warn you, I'm not going to go easy."

"Figures…" Yuna said, rolling her eyes.

"He's not going to put Yuna through the same test he did for me, is he?" Ichigo asked, looking worried.

"No," Toushirou said, shaking his head. "Your days for training were limited. Yuna has as much time as it takes, because it's our mission, _my_ mission, to make sure her reiatsu doesn't become a danger to this world and Soul Society."

"But Captain," Rangiku said, "it takes six years for someone to become a Shinigami."

"It didn't take me that long, remember?"

"Besides, Yuna's reiatsu is strong," Ishida said, pushing his glasses up, "much higher than Captain Hitsugaya's. When her soul shifts to that of a Shinigami, it may lower her reiatsu some, possibly to the level of Kurosaki's, or Captain Hitsugaya's depending, because I think that if she was to become a Shinigami with her reiatsu the same as it is now, it may cause drastic consequences."

"Possibly," Toushirou said, shrugging. "We'll have to see."

The bell rang, sounding the end of the lunch period. The group made their way back to class and for the rest of the day Toushirou thought of Yuna's upcoming training. Will she do alright? He scoffed to himself for thinking that question. He thought of the first time he saw her facing a Hollow, protecting Marlene and placing herself between the little girl and the monster she faced even though she knew the dangers. It was either stupidity or bravery, and he knew that it wasn't the former. Yuna will do it; she will put her all into it.

The end of the day finally came and the group headed towards Urahara's. The ex-Shinigami was waiting for them in the underground training chamber. He looked at Yuna from under the brim of his hat and said, "Are you ready, Yuna?"

Toushirou wasn't surprised when Yuna nodded without hesitation. What surprised him was that before Yuna even finished nodding Urahara hit Yuna in the forehead with the end of his cane, forcing her soul from her body. Toushirou saw the black red and white flaming head symbol on the end of his cane as he caught Yuna's body before it hit the hard ground. As he gently eased her body down, Yuna pushed herself up from the ground, a long chain connecting from her chest to her body. She glared at Urahara and snarled, pushing aside some of the braids that fell in front of her face.

"What the hell?!" Yuna yelled, then winced, clutching at her chest. "Why is it hard to breath…?"

"Right now," Urahara said, "you have the soul of someone without spiritual powers, even though you possess them in your human form. First off, you must be able to use your spiritual power while not in your body… before your chain corrodes completely…"

"What…?" Yuna was cut off when Jinta came out of nowhere with an axe and cut the chain that connected Yuna to her body. "Aw crap!"

"What are you doing, Urahara?" Toushirou demanded, rounding on the man. "This is a good way to change her into a Hollow!"

"And if she fails, she will turn into a Hollow," Urahara said, "and like any Hollow, she will be dealt with."

Yuna jumped to her feet, but stumbled slightly as she did so. She glared at Urahara and said, "This isn't what I planned."

"But it is the only way: become a Shinigami or become a Hollow. It's your choice… now, let's begin." As Urahara unsheathed his Zanpakutoh from his cane, he said to Toushirou. "I ask you not to interfere, Captain Hitsugaya." Although he made it like a request, Toushirou knew that it was a demand in the most polite way possible.

Grunting, Toushirou nodded and stepped back, folding his arms over his chest. Yuna sighed and faced Urahara. Toushirou couldn't help but let out small smile when he saw the determined look on her face. "Let's do this," she said softly.

Urahara nodded before saying, "Okiro (Wake up), Benihime."


	13. Chapter 12: First Step

Chapter Twelve: First Step

Yuna ran from Urahara, ignoring the slight pain in her chest as her soul chain began to corrode. She had no idea how long she'd been going like this, but it seemed like hours. She knew that if she stopped, Urahara wound kill her, but if she didn't gain her spiritual power and turn her soul into that of a Shinigami's before her chain corroded completely, she would become a Hollow and he'll kill her. So, until she somehow gained her spirit power, she had no choice but to run.

She ducked, Urahara's Zanpakutoh narrowly missing the top of her hair. She pressed her speed even faster, searching for the core where she'd always found her power. But she seemed to hit a barrier every time. And was her chain shorter than the last time she looked…? How long ago was that?

"You'll never get what you want if you keep running from it," Urahara said from somewhere behind her.

_Damn it!_ Yuna thought, making a quick glance behind her. _Come on, Yunie, think! What is one thing that could bring up your power?"_ She then blinked as she thought of Marlene: every time the little girl became endangered, Yuna felt a surge of her power as she faced the Hollow. She remembered the time when Toushirou got rammed by that Hollow that somehow dodged Hyourinmaru and how her power boosted when she struck the Hollow as it went in for the kill on Toushirou. _My strength comes from the people I love, duh!_ Yuna thought, feeling stupid. With a grin, she pun around and face Urahara, who stopped at her sudden change in direction.

She stood in a fighting stance, facing Urahara, her violet eyes boring into the ex-Shinigami's under his hat. _Let's give this a shot, _she thought. Bringing up her hands, she thought of Marlene, Toushirou and her entire family: everyone she loved. "Hadou 4!" she yelled. "White Lightning!"

White light exploded from her hands and Urahara had to jump out of the way before Yuna's kidou attack hit. Yuna felt her spirit power running through her and she heard a soft shattering sound. Looking down, she blinked as her chain of fate disappeared. "I did it!" she exclaimed.

"Hmm… well now, _that_ is interesting…" Urahara said, approaching her.

"What is?"

"Your chain of fate is gone, but you aren't in the _shihakshou_ of a Shinigami," he pointed out.

Yuna frowned and looked down. He was right. Her chain was gone, but she was still in her school uniform, the clothes she'd been wearing when her soul had been forced from her body. "What does it mean?" she asked.

"That you may be quite a rare Shinigami indeed, or cannot become one at all."

"Well then," Toushirou's voice sounded behind Yuna. She looked around and saw that he was out of his gigai and in his Shinigami form, Hyourinmaru on his back. "Let's get to the next part of the training then." He reached over his shoulder and unsheathed Hyourinmaru. "Let's go…"

Yuna jumped back as Toushirou swung his Zanpakutoh down to strike her. She found herself able to jump much higher and to move faster when she was out of her body, now that her spirit power was released. But Toushirou was fast as well, and came after her. Yuna faced Toushirou and sent another kidou spell at him, which he dodged.

The two of them kept at it for several hours, Yuna's attacks and movements much smoother than before. But when she visibly began to tire, Toushirou pulled back and said, "That's enough for today."

With a loud sigh, Yuna dropped to the ground and laid flat on her back. She closed her eyes as she tried to return her breath back to normal. She opened one eye when she felt a shadow fall over her. Toushirou looked down at her and gave her a cocky smile. "Told you I wasn't going to go easy on you," he said.

"Drop dead…" was Yuna's reply.

He chuckled and held out a hand to her. "Come on," he said, "it wasn't that bad."

"Naw… having a sword swung at my head for three hours isn't so bad, especially when I don't have a weapon of my own."

"You have kidou…"

"That doesn't count…"

"You almost fried me that one time."

"Well, you deserved it…"

Toushirou sighed and asked wearily, "I'm not going to win this, aren't I?"

Yuna grinned and said, "Nope." She took his offered hand and he helped her up. "But you fought well, young padawan."

"'Padawan'?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Have you ever watched _Star Wars_?"

"No…"

Yuna sighed wearily and said, "Never mind then…"

"Wait a minute… '_young_'? I'm older than you!"

"It's a figure of speech, geez… don't go all stick-up-ass on me again…"

"If you two lovebirds are done arguing," Ichigo said, walking over to them. He was in his Shinigami form, holding Zangetsu so it was resting across his shoulders. "It's time we headed back. Plus, we need to show Yuna how to return to her body."

As Toushirou glared at Ichigo, Yuna looked around as Chad walked over, carrying Yuna's body, with Urahara walking beside the tall young man. "It is fairly simple really," Urahara said. "Just merge back with your body."

Yuna nodded and Chad laid her body gently onto the ground. She lifted her body up from behind so it was sitting up. She closed her eyes, imagining herself merging back with her body and she felt a tingle spread over her skin. When she opened her eyes, she found herself back into her body. "Hey, I did it!" she exclaimed.

"Excellent!" Urahara said, waving his fan. "You did well today, Yuna. Same time tomorrow and I think you may be ready to face Captain Hitsugaya's _shikai_, don't you think so, Captain Hitsugaya?"

"I think so," Toushirou said, folding his arms over his chest. "She showed improvement within the three or so hours we trained."

"And you just want to send your dragon of ice at me…" Yuna grumbled.

Toushirou smirked wickedly and said, "Of course."

**.:x:.**

"Hey! Yuna!"

Yuna looked around, blinking slightly to see Rinoa hurrying towards her down the hall. She felt Toushirou's arm around her waist tighten slightly and she looked over at him. "It's alright," she said. "Go on ahead into the classroom. I'll meet you there."

Toushirou looked between her and Rinoa coming towards them, his cerulean blue eyes icy, but when they finally rested on Yuna, they warmed slightly. "Alright," he said. He gave her a swift kiss, his lips cooler than her own, before walking into the classroom, where Yuna immediately heard Rangiku squeal about seeing the two of them.

Sighing, Yuna looked over at where Rinoa stood, keeping a distance while her and Toushirou talked. She approached the dark haired girl and smiled. "Hey, Rinoa," she said.

Rinoa smiled in return and said, "Hey… sorry I haven't caught up with you sooner… I've… been busy… my dad's just returned from over seas."

"Oh," Yuna said, nodding. "That's good. I'm happy for you."

Rinoa smiled and said, "He's been asking about you, wondering if you're still around and if we're still friends… we… still are… right? I mean, I know what happened between you, Ayumi and Kaia, so…"

"Rinoa," Yuna said, stepping close to her friend and pulling her into a tight hug. "We're best friends. Of course we're still friends. Ayumi and Kaia are just a bunch of stuck up bitches."

Rinoa laughed and said, "Oh, Yuna! I'm so glad! I haven't spent so much time with those two ever since I heard what happened. I don't care though, as long as I still have you as a friend." She pulled away and smiled, her green eyes bright. "So, you and Toushirou Hitsugaya, huh? That didn't take long!"

Yuna laughed and said, "No, it didn't, and he really isn't that bad."

"I know," Rinoa said with a small smile. "I saw how he looked at you a moment ago. He really cares about you, I can tell."

"Yeah, he does…" Yuna said, smiling softly. Then the warning bell sounded and the two of them headed into the classroom. After saying a quick good-bye, Yuna went over to where the others were.

As she approached, she looked at Toushirou, who was leaning against the large window sill, hands in his pockets, talking with Ichigo and Chad. His face seemed almost relaxed and he hadn't noticed her approach yet. Something warm filled Yuna as she looked at him and she thought of what Rinoa said:

"_He really cares about you, I can tell."_

With a smile, Yuna rushed over to Toushirou and as he turned his head, she threw her arms around his neck, pressing her face into his neck.

"Y-Yuna…?" Toushirou stuttered.

"I love you," she said, soft enough so only he would hear.

She sensed his surprise and he didn't say anything. But, his arms wrapped around her and he gave her a tight squeeze, which let Yuna know his response. She smiled when she felt the surprise melt away into undeniable love and affection he had for her. Although she had a feeling that it would be a long time before he finally said the words, his response was enough for now. It was Toushirou's first actual relationship and she knew that this was one of his first steps.


	14. Chapter 13: Last Memories

Chapter Thirteen: Last Memories

Yuna didn't arrive to school again the next day and Toushirou had a feeling that it was because of the boy with cancer, Zack. He wanted to go see her after school, but he had patrol until sundown. So it wasn't until well past sunset that he arrived at Yuna's house in his gigai.

He was immediately attacked by Marlene, who'd sensed his reiatsu arriving apparently, and the little girl dragged him into the living room where Yuna was with Zack. "Yunie! Yunie! Look who's here!" Marlene cried, jumping up and down while still grasping Toushirou's hand tightly.

Yuna looked at Toushirou and smiled. "You didn't have to come over," she said.

"I know," was all he said as he walked over and crouched in front of Zack who sat on the couch next to Yuna, wrapped in blankets. "Here," he said, reaching into his jacket pocket and taking out an orange. He handed it to Zack and said, "It'll make you feel better."

The young boy smiled shyly and accepted the orange. "Thank you," he said softly.

Toushirou smiled and then looked up at Yuna. "I was wondering," he said, "if you wanted to go to that festival they're having down at the park. The others are going and I think Matsumoto will have a hernia if I showed up without you."

Yuna laughed and then smiled sadly, "I would, but…" She looked at Zack, who was being helped by Marlene peeling his orange.

"Well…" Toushirou thought, looking at the boy. He couldn't help but feel a bit of sadness for him. He knew that the boy's life was coming to a close. "It's fairly warm out tonight, despite the time of the year… he can come with us, if we bundle him up real well. What do you say, Zack? Would you like to go?"

Zack looked up at Toushirou, his eyes brighter than the Shinigami captain had ever seen them. He nodded eagerly and said, "Yeah, I would."

Toushirou nodded and stood up. "Alright then," he said and then looked at Marlene. "Marlene, I trust you to make sure he's good and bundled up to head outside for a couple hours."

Marlene nodded and she gently took Zack's hand the two of them began to make their way up the stairs, a new energy in the sick boy. Yuna slowly stood and as Toushirou looked back at her, he saw something in her amethyst eyes he'd never seen: sadness and absolute gratitude. "Toushirou…" she whispered softly.

"I want him to have at least one happy memory of his life here before he goes to Soul Society," Toushirou said softly. "Something he won't forget…"

Yuna just nodded and she wrapped her arms tightly around him. "I love you…" she said faintly.

Those three words again: words that Toushirou wouldn't want to hear from anyone else, and yet, he still couldn't bring himself to return them, not yet at least, although he truly did. So he said the next best thing. "Me too, Yuna…"

**.:x:.**

Zack was ready within twenty minutes, bundled up in sweaters, a thick coat, scarves, mittens, a hat and thickly lined boots, sitting in his wheelchair. All the children came down to see him off and Kaede gave Toushirou a nod, her eyes rimmed with tears. Yuna was wearing her jacket, scarf and mittens, a knitted snow hat to match her scarf on her head, her golden hair falling down her back and shoulders like a waterfall with a few faint waves here and there. Once everyone said their good-byes and wished Zack to have fun, Yuna began to steer the small wheelchair out of the house and down the driveway.

They made it to the park within twenty minutes and Rangiku immediately pounced on them, squealing happily until Renji pulled her back before Toushirou could smack her. Rukia and Orihime immediately bonded with Zack after introductions were made and soon the three girls traveled ahead with the sick boy, chatting excitedly on what they should do and asking Zack what he wanted to do first.

At one point, Ichigo looked at Toushirou and asked, "Why did you bring the kid? He looks a little sick to me."

"He has cancer," Toushirou said simply, not letting any of his emotions out through his demeanor. "This may be his last chance of enjoying his life."

None of the others said anything to that, except Ishida just nodded, Chad grunted and Rangiku looked at Toushirou with soft eyes, but didn't say anything.

Throughout the evening, Toushirou could see how excited Zack was and how much fun he was happy. He'd never seen the boy laugh or smile as much as he did that evening in the entire time he had known him. And every time Yuna looked at Toushirou, the look she gave him and the emotions in her eyes created a warm fluttering in his soul. When it came time for them to head back, Toushirou could see the pure happiness in the boy's eyes and the way he chatted away about his night as they began to head back to Yuna's let Toushirou know that it had been a great idea to let the boy come with them.

Zack was tired by the time the two of them started up the driveway and he became silent. They continued forward in silence, Yuna pushing Zack's wheelchair and Toushirou walked alongside her, hands in the pockets of his jacket. After a while, Zack asked in a soft voice, "Where will I go when I die?"

Toushirou looked over at Yuna, who seemed lost for words. So he answered the boy's question, truthfully. "It's a place called Soul Society, and it's a good place, protected by the Shinigami who live in _Seireitei_. There's no pain, or sickness and there will be people there who will take care of you, no matter who you are."

"Hmm… sounds nice…" Zack said quietly and the boy fell silent once more. They arrived at the house and Toushirou gathered the boy into his arms and carried him into the house and up to his room. He got Zack ready for bed and tucked him under his thick blankets.

As Zack closed his eyes, he whispered, "Tell me more about Soul Society, Shirou-kun."

Toushirou was slightly surprised in the boy's sudden interest in the afterlife, but he proceeded to tell Zack more about Soul Society. Once he finished, Zack asked one more thing before he fell asleep. "Will I see my parents there?"

Toushirou frowned slightly. It was quite rare for family members to find each other in Soul Society if their deaths were separated by years. Most of the time, souls were adopted into small families that had formed over time, like him and Hinamori. But instead of telling the boy that, he said, "Yeah, you will."

Zack smiled slightly as he drifted off to sleep and Toushirou slowly stood and left the room where all the other boys slept peacefully. He returned downstairs where Yuna was waiting for him in the living room.

He smiled at the sight of the young woman lying on the couch that was set up a few yards away from the fireplace, her eyes closed, a few strands of her blonde hair hanging over her face and glinting in the light of the fire. He walked over and sat on the edge of the couch next to her and pushed her hair away from her face. She opened her eyes slowly and looked up at him. "You gonna head out?" she asked quietly.

"In a little bit, yeah," he replied. He then moved himself so he was laying behind Yuna, wrapping his arms around her waist, their legs intertwining with one another's. He pressed his lips lightly against the back of her head and stared at the crackling flames of the fire.

"That was a good thing you did today, Toushirou," Yuna said softly.

"I wanted to give him at least one happy memory," he told her, "one that he wouldn't forget, no matter how long he's been in Soul Society. Something I wish I had…"

"You don't remember anything from when you were alive?"

"Only that I died young, probably around the same age as Marlene, and that I was really cold… Other than that, I don't remember anything, not even who my parents looked like."

"It must be horrible…"

"No, not really… I've become use to it… it's an old life, something of the past. I like where I am now, this life that I'm living…"

"Even though you're short for you're age?"

"Shut up…"

Yuna laughed quietly and she slowly turned around to face Toushirou. "This life that you like now… I'm a part of it, right?"

Toushirou smiled and nodded. "Yeah," he said. He then smirked and said, "For now, anyway, until I'm tired of you."

Yuna punched him in the chest playfully and he chuckled slightly, kissing her lightly. Yuna sighed and pressed herself closer to him. "I'm glad…" she said softly.

"For what?"

"That you are a part of my life… now…" With that, Yuna drifted to sleep, her breathing becoming even although her reiatsu still pulsed from happiness.

Toushirou slowly sat up and he lifted up Yuna gently, holding her close to him in his arms. He carried her upstairs to her room and laid her into bed. After covering her up with her blankets, he placed one last kiss on her forehead and looked down at her sleeping face. "I'm glad too…" he said softly, "that you're a part of my life now as well."

**.:x:.**

The first thing Toushirou felt the next morning when he woke up was sudden dread in the pit of his stomach, and it wasn't from Isshin coming crashing into Ichigo's room where he and Renji also slept, announcing the start of a new day. This ended by both Ichigo and Renji sending the ex-Shinigami captain somersaulting down the stairs with two black eyes. It didn't let up as they headed to school and it grew worse when Yuna didn't meet them at the intersection near the bakery like she did every morning. When he saw that she wasn't at the school, he knew something bad had happened.

"I have to go to Yuna's," he told the others, not letting any of his emotions through his usual demeanor although his stomach was twisting with fear, dread and worry.

"What's wrong, Captain?" Rangiku asked, looking worried.

"Just a feeling I have… and I'm not liking it… cover for me, alright Matsumoto?"

"Right," his vice-captain said.

Toushirou left the school and as soon as he was out of sight, he began to run, weaving through the crowds that began to form on the sidewalks. He went as fast as his gigai would allow and also without attracting too much attention to himself. He got to Yuna's driveway and ran as fast as he could up it. When he came up to her house, he saw a vehicle parked outside the house, an ambulance, and he knew. "Oh no…" he whispered. As he came nearer, he saw two men walk out, carrying a stretcher with a small black body bag strapped to it. He slowed to a stop and watched as the men carried the stretcher into the ambulance and closed the doors.

Toushirou ran into the house and was met by a lot of crying children and a weeping Kaede sighing death papers with a shaky hand. The old woman looked up, her eyes locking onto Toushirou's and he knew that it was true. "He's gone…" he whispered softly.

"Shirou-kun!" Marlene cried when she noticed him and Toushirou knelt down as the girl ran to him, and pulled her into his embrace. "S-Shirou-kun, Zack… he's… he's…"

"I know… Marlene, I know," Toushirou said softly. He then looked up at Kaede and asked, "When…?"

"They think some time last night," Kaede said softly. "He passed in his sleep. The boys tried to wake him and when they couldn't, they called for Yuna. When she went in and saw him… she knew… oh, Toushirou, she's gone off somewhere! When they zipped his body up into that bag, she just took off, she couldn't handle it!"

Toushirou slowly stood, lifting up a sobbing Marlene as he did. He searched for Yuna's reiatsu, but couldn't find it. "I can't sense her…" he said softly.

Kaede reached for Marlene and took the girl from his arms. "Find her, Toushirou," the old woman pleaded, "before something else does." Toushirou knew what Kaede meant. If a Hollow attacked Yuna now, it could easily take her out in the state she was in.

Toushirou nodded and he left the house. He ran to Urahara's and found the shop owner in the back. "Has Yuna come here?" he asked, glaring at the man to let him know that he wasn't in the mood for games.

Urahara shook his head, his face becoming serious. "No, she hasn't… what has happened?"

"Someone in her family just died, and she's taken off… I'll explain later…" Toushirou reached into his pocket and took out his soul candy and swallowed the green pill, forcing his soul from his gigai. He faced Urahara and said, "Let the others know that I'm looking for Yuna… and that I'm doing it alone." He then shunpoed off, beginning his search, and praying that Yuna would be okay.

**.:x:.**

Night fell and Toushirou still was unable to locate Yuna. He stood on top of a telephone pole, looking over the town, willing for Yuna's reiatsu to flare, for _any _sign to lead him to her. His face was etched with worry and his eyes darted around, searching. "Where are you, Yuna?" he whispered softly. Then suddenly, it hit him and he palm faced himself. "I'm an idiot…" he murmured. He remembered the place Yuna took him to a while back: the small clearing with the pool… the place Yuna called her sanctuary. "Why didn't I think of that in the first place…"

Toushirou began to shunpo in the direction of the clearing. As he did, the air seemed to suddenly become cooler and he knew that it wasn't he that was doing it. He moved through the woods and finally came into the clearing. He slowed to a stop when he saw Yuna and let out a sigh of relief. She stood near the pool which had a thin layer of ice over the surface, her blonde hair falling down her back. He walked over to her and reached for her. "Yuna…" he said softly.

Yuna turned to face him at his touch and looked up at him with tear washed eyes. "He's gone, Toushirou…" she whispered.

He nodded and Yuna let out a sob, throwing herself into his arms. Toushirou held her close as she cried, running a hand through her hair. As he comforted her, he saw a few snowflakes drift slowly down from the sky.

He held Yuna like she held him when he first cried for Hinamori. After a while, Yuna's sobbing subsided and she calmed down. She remained in his arms for a while longer before pulling away slightly to look up at him. "Thank you, Toushirou," she said softly. "Because of you, at least he died happy. He was happy when he fell asleep and he was happy when he finally left. He immediately went to Soul Society, didn't he?"

"Yeah, I think he did," Toushirou said, nodding. "I don't sense him anywhere."

Yuna nodded and said, "Good, I'm glad." She then looked up and smiled slightly. "It's snowing…"

"Yeah…"

"At least… at least Zack isn't suffering anymore… for that, I'm glad he finally passed on."

"Yes," Toushirou said, "he's at peace now. He'll never have to feel that pain ever again."

Yuna smiled and closed her eyes, lifting her face to the sky. "Take care Zack…" she whispered softly.


	15. Chapter 14: Attack

Chapter Fourteen: Attack

Toushirou was woken up by Isshin declaring loudly from downstairs that school was canceled for the day, and then ordered everyone to get up because they were going to have a family snowball fight. This ended by Ichigo and Karin throwing their father out into a snow bank outside, since he woke them at five-thirty in the morning, and locking him out. But by this time, everyone was wide awake so Yuzu began to cook breakfast for everyone.

Around seven thirty, Yuzu called everyone to the kitchen and the all began to sit at the table when there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it," Karin said, standing up. "I don't want dad to scare them off."

Toushirou chuckled softly as Isshin wailed about not being loved by his daughter and accepted the plate Yuzu gave him with a nod. He didn't bother to look around when he heard footsteps behind him as he began to eat until Karin said, "Oi, Toushirou, it's for you." He looked around and blinked with surprise to see Yuna standing beside Karin. The blonde had her hair pulled up in a ponytail with beaded braids looped and hanging around it, her cheeks tinged with red from the cold. She smiled and Toushirou couldn't stop himself from returning it with a small smile of his own.

This, of course, set Isshin off.

"OH, OUR WHITEY-CHAN HAS A GIRLFRIEND! THERE'S GOING TO BE A WEDDING! OH, MASAKI…"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?!" Karin hollered, punching her father in the face and sending him flying out of his chair and almost clear out of the dining room.

"Yuna, would you like to have some breakfast?" Yuzu asked, quite clearly ignoring the fight between her sister and father. "I made extra and I can set up a place for you next to Toushirou."

"That would be nice, thank you," Yuna said, unraveling her scarf from around her neck. Ichigo stood and took her outdoor clothing to hang them up near the door as Yuna took a seat next to Toushirou.

Toushirou leaned up close to her and said, "You're hiding your reiatsu well."

Yuna gave him a quick grin and said, "I learn from the best… besides, just cause I have a high reiatsu doesn't mean I have to be an Ichigo."

"Burn…" Karin said, grinning over at her brother.

Rukia snorted, almost choking on her orange juice and Renji just out right laughed. "I like her," the red head said. "We should keep her."

"You only want her around because she's good at burning me," Ichigo said, glaring at Renji.

"All the more reason to…"

"Alright, that's enough," Toushirou said when it looked like Ichigo was about to jump across the table to strangle Renji. Yuna giggled and Toushirou gave her a look. "What?"

"It's kinda funny when you go all captainy in a situation that isn't serious," she said.

Toushirou rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever…"

After Yuzu handed everyone a plate of food, they all started to eat, small talking running up and down the table. Toushirou looked over at Yuna and said, "You up for training today, seeing that school's been canceled."

Yuna shook her head and said, "I can't today. I came by so I can spend some time with you this morning, since I know you have patrol this afternoon and evening. So me and Marlene are going somewhere that's special to her, since I promised I would take her on the first big snow."

Toushirou nodded and then said, "Just be careful. Those Arrancar are still probably looking for you."

"I'll be careful, don't worry."

**.:x:.**

Yuna pushed open the heavy doors of the old church, Marlene pushing past her and running down the snow dusted runway between the pews. She ran up the front of church were several silver and blue flowers grew, despite the snow that partially covered them. Yuna smiled as she watched the little girl stroke one of the flowers' petals lovingly. She approached the girl as Marlene stood and looked over at Yuna. "They're always so pretty, especially during the first snow."

"Yeah, they are," Yuna said, nodding.

"Why do you think they keep growing, even though she's been gone for two years?"

"Because of the power she had… she would have been a Shinigami if she hadn't been human," Yuna said. She closed her eyes, feeling the faint, but quite powerful, reiatsu that flowed through the area. No Hollow came to this place because it was so pure. Lana had had a pure heart, so for her to die the way she did was unthinkable. But then again, Hollows enjoyed powerful souls and she'd been one of those souls. Although she was dead, her power lived on through the unique flowers she grew in this place, especially the ones that she made grow during the winter. It was a power that Marlene somewhat had, because Lana and Marlene were sisters.

"Does Shirou-kun know about this place?" Marlene asked, looking up at Yuna.

"I don't think so, and it isn't my place to bring him here," Yuna told her. "This is your special place after all."

"I'm gonna bring him here some time," Marlene said. "I think he'll like it…"

Yuna smiled and crouched in front of Marlene. "Yes, I suppose he would. So, next time we come here…"

"…we'll bring him with us," the little girl finished.

Yuna nodded, and then she felt a very powerful reiatsu, somewhat similar to a Hollow's but also felt like a Shinigami's. She stood and spun around, facing the double doors, protecting Marlene. She pulled Marlene close to her as the doors flew open and a man wearing a white kimono and long white coat walked it. He had short cut black hair and the thing that let Yuna that this man was an Arrancar was the white Hollow mask that covered his forehead and left eye. She recognized, from the description that Toushirou gave her of the three Arrancar brothers, that this one must be Zen.

The Arrancar smirked and stopped right inside the door. "Wanna play?" he asked, his voice echoing through the old building.

Yuna glared at the Arrancar and growled, "Get out…"

"Hmm… I take that as a 'no'…" Zen said, smiling wickedly. He began to slowly walk towards her and said, "So you're the little girl that Aizen-sama wants, the one with the powerful reiatsu. You're kinda cute… why don't you come with me."

"No," Yuna said, holding Marlene closer to her.

"Fine," Zen said, taking a fighting position. "Play with me then."

Yuna gently pushed Marlene towards one of the fallen pillars on the other side of the pews. "Go and hide, Marlene," she said softly.

"Yunie…" Marlene whimpered, looking back at her.

"Go Marlene," Yuna said, her voice stern. As soon as the girl was a safe distance away, Yuna shrugged off her winter coat and took out her fighting gloves. She slipped them on and then took her own fighting stance, her eyes boring into the black and gold eyes of the Arrancar.

Zen smirked and said, "Well, this should be fun."

Yuna smiled coldly and said, "We'll see…" Then she lunged forward in an attack.

**.:x:.**

Renji sighed wearily as he sat at a crouch on a rooftop. The wintry November wind blew at his red hair and _shihakshou_. No sign of the Arrancar that were after Yuna, and possibly the captain of the tenth division, and there were no Hollow around for Renji to take out to kill some time. Karakura Town was quite so he was bored to tears.

Suddenly, Renji felt, and heard as well for that matter, a kidou spell being used and he instantly recognized the spirit energy that used it as well. He was almost blown over by the two powerful reiatsus that came blasting from what looked like an old church a few hundred feet away, which he could see from where he sat.

One reiatsu belonged to Yuna…

The other to an Arrancar.

"Shit…" Renji cursed before quickly standing and shunpoing towards the reiatsus.

**.:x:.**

"Come on, Captain, just an itty, bitty bit of information," Rangiku pleaded. "What's really going on between you and Yuna, besides the obvious?"

"None of your business…" Toushirou replied, standing on the rooftop in his _shihakshou_ and white haori, the comforting weight of Hyourinmaru on his back.

"But Captain…"

"Matsumoto, if I have to tell you again, I'll…"

Toushirou wasn't able to finish his threat because he was cut off by a sudden blast of reiatsu that came from the other side of town. He stared in the direction it came from and for the first time that Rangiku ever remembered seeing, horror broke through his façade and glowed bright in his eyes.

"Yuna!" he yelled before shunpoing in the direction on the reiatsus. He's worse fears had come true:

The Arrancar found Yuna, and Yuna was face to face against one… completely alone.

**.:x:.**

Yuna's breathing was heavy as she faced the Arrancar. Her body laid a few feet away; Zen had something similar to Ichigo's Shinigami badge and struck Yuna in the chest with it, forcing her soul out of her body.

"You're a different type of soul, aren't you?" Zen said with a laugh. "You smell like a Shinigami, but you look like a normal human soul. Aizen-sama will definitely enjoy examining you. Who knows, you might make one hell of an Arrancar."

"Over my dead body," Yuna hissed.

Zen laughed wickedly and said, "That's the plan; either yours or your little captain friend."

"Leave Toushirou alone," she snarled. "If it's me that Aizen wants, then deal with me and leave him alone."

"But Aizen-sama wants you both, that's the problem," Zen said, flexing a fist. "Now, shall we continue this little game we're playing?"

Before Yuna could respond, she felt Renji's reiatsu just as the red-headed Shinigami came through a hole in the roof. "Hoero (Howl), Zabimaru!" Renji yelled as his Zanpakutoh transformed. He slashed at Zen, the saw-like blade extending towards the Arrancar, who dodged it. As Renji landed beside Yuna, retracting the blade, Zen chuckled slightly.

"Reinforcements, huh?" the Arrancar taunted.

"Yuna, get out of here," Renji said, shifting to a battle stance. "I'll deal with him…"

"No," Yuna said, stepping in front of Renji and pushing him back, all the while not removing her eyes from Zen. "Take Marlene and get her out of here… I'll deal with bone-head here."

"But…"

"No, Renji, I'm trusting you to get Marlene out of here. Please, I can fight easier knowing that she's safe."

Renji looked at Yuna for a moment before nodding and hurrying over to where Marlene knelt next to Yuna's body. He lifted up the little girl, who clung to his _shihakshou_ tightly and stared at Yuna with wide green eyes. "Yunie…?"

"I'll be fine, Marlene," Yuna said softly, looking over at the two of them. "Now, go Renji!"

Renji didn't waste time; as he shunpoed off with Marlene, Yuna turned back to face Zen. "Now it's you and me," she said.

Zen cracked a smile and said, "Ah, little girl, that's where you're wrong…"

"What…?" Before Yuna could finish, Zen suddenly took on a completely new burst of speed and he struck Yuna in the stomach before she could react. She cried out, but before she could drop, he grabbed her by the neck and threw her. She hit the ground amongst Lana's flowers and as her vision blurred, she saw Zen joined by two other figures. _Toushirou…_ she thought as her world slowly turned black. _Stay away…_

**.:x:.**

"Captain Hitsugaya!"

Toushirou stopped as Rukia and Ichigo joined him and Rangiku. Rukia and Ichigo looked worried as he said, "Yuna is fighting against an Arrancar."

"We know," Rukia said, "we sensed her reiatsu and spirit energy flare up. We also felt Renji head in that direction as well…"

"Captain!"

Toushirou spun around as Renji landed behind them, holding a terrified Marlene in his arms. As soon as the little girl saw him, she jumped from Renji's arms and half stumbled-half ran across the roof top to Toushirou. She slammed into the icy captain with enough force to knock the breath out of him, but he wrapped his arms around the girl as she gripped onto his haori, her head hardly going past his mid-section. "Marlene!" he exclaimed, slightly shocked that she was there and that she could see him and the others.

Marlene looked up at him, her eyes teary. "Shirou-kun," she cried. "Yunie… Yunie… she's hurt!"

"What do you…?" he stopped when he suddenly felt Yuna's spirit energy drop like a rock. "Damn it… Matsumoto, take Marlene and get her to Urahara's. She'll be safe there." Toushirou crouched in front of Marlene and took the little girl's shoulders gently. "Marlene, go with Matsumoto. I'll help Yuna."

Marlene placed her tiny hands on the sides of Toushirou's face and whispered so softly that only he could hear her. "Shirou-kun… that man… he's the Hollow that I saw take you and Yunie away in my dream…"

Toushirou blinked in surprise, but then pulled Marlene into a tight embrace when he saw how pale her face was and how much fear filled her eyes. "We'll be okay," he whispered. "No matter what, we'll be okay, I promise."

He felt Marlene nod and he pulled away from her. He stood and Marlene gripped his hand in hers. He turned to Matsumoto and said, "Get her to safety, Matsumoto. I'm going after Yuna. The rest of you go to Urahara's as well…" He didn't need to say anything more; they all understood.

Matsumoto took Marlene's hand from Toushirou's before lifting up the girl and holding her close. His vice-captain nodded to him, which he returned before shunpoing in the direction Yuna was.

He found her in an old church building that had flowers growing up from the thin layer of snow on the ground. Her soul was out of her body and she was unconscious. Toushirou landed beside her and lifted her up, cradling her in his arms. "Yuna?" he said softly, shaking her gently. "Yuna, wake up."

He let out a sigh of relief when the girl moaned. Her eyes opened to mere slits and she whispered, "You're too late… g-get out…"

"Yuna, what…?" he was cut short by a painful blow to his head that sent him flying back, dropping Yuna in the process. Lights flashing in his eyes, he lifted his head to see the Arrancar Kaze standing over Yuna, the tip of his Zanpakutoh pressed against the girl's neck.

"Make a wrong move and your girlfriend is dead," Kaze said softly. "You're coming with us, whether you like it or not. Now, drop your Zanpakutoh and come quietly."

Toushirou cursed softly, but he removed Hyourinmaru from his back and set it on the ground in front of him. He was suddenly wrenched into a standing position by Zen, who then held his hands behind his back in an iron grip. Toushirou growled as the other Arrancar, Sazuki, picked up Hyourinmaru and held it at his side. Kaze smiled wickedly as he lifted up Yuna's unconscious form and Toushirou glared at the Arrancar. "What do you plan to do with us?" he hissed.

"Why, just take you on a trip to Hueco Mundo, to meet Aizen-sama," Kaze said as he opened a Garganta, a hole that Arrancar use to travel. "He is anticipating your arrival, especially yours, _Captain_ Hitsugaya."

"Aizen is dead," Toushirou snarled venomously.

"Well then, guess you'll just have to see to believe… won't you?"


	16. Chapter 15: Into the Dark Depths

Chapter Fifteen: Into the Dark Depths

"This isn't good…" Urahara said softly, staring down at the two empty bodies of Toushirou Hitsugaya and Yuna Amaterasu. The two lay side by side on mats in the back of his shop and looked to be only sleeping… except they weren't breathing, nor had a heartbeat. Without their souls in them, they were as good as dead.

"We felt a Garganta open where Yuna was fighting," Renji said. "But by the time we got there, it was too late and all we found was Yuna's body."

"How is the child?" Urahara asked.

"She's in shock, and more than a little frightened," Ichigo replied. "Rangiku and Rukia are trying to calm her down, but she keeps saying that she saw Yuna and Toushirou being taken away in a dream she had, and now it came true."

"It is quite possible that the girl dreamt of the future," Urahara said wearily. "The girl has such high spirit energy at such a young age. If I had known of the dream, we could have tried to prevent this…"

"What do we do now?" Renji asked.

"Report to the Captain-Commander immediately," the shop keeper said, walking to the front of the shop, "and let him know that there is a great chance that Aizen is alive and he has his hands on two of the most powerful young Shinigami in both worlds. We must get them back at all costs."

"What if he orders us not to go into Hueco Mundo like he did when Orihime was kidnapped by Aizen?"

Urahara looked at the two young men from under the brim of his hat. "Then we'll just have to disobey him, like the last time."

**.:x:.**

"_Yuna… wake up…"_

"Mmm… five more minutes…"

"I don't think you have five more minutes, Yuna…"

Yuna's eyes flew open as memories of what happened flashed through her mind and it dawned on her that she wasn't in her warm comfy bed. She shot upright, almost knocking out Toushirou, and then grunted painfully, wrapping an arm around her mid-section. "Owie…" she mumbled, wincing slightly. She looked around her and realized that she was in what looked like a cell made out of gray stone, the entrance wall only being black bars like a cage. There was a small oval window behind her that let in the light of a full moon. She looked at Toushirou who sat beside her and realized that he was dressed in only a white yukata and was bare foot. All she had on were her blue jeans and her yellow spaghetti strap top. Her shoes, fighting gloves, hell even the pen she carried in her front pocket, were gone. "Where are we?" she asked.

"Hueco Mundo…"

"The Hollow world?!" Yuna cried. "Aw, crap!" She tried jumping to her feet, but then dropped back down onto her rear when pain shot through her body from her mid-section. "Again… owie…" she groaned.

"Here…" Toushirou said, moving so he knelt next to her. "Let me see…"

Yuna lifted her shirt to just below her breasts and looked down. Her entire lower torso was covered in a black and dark purple bruise. She winced as Toushirou placed his fingers on the mark, so he lightened his touch. He then gently rested a hand over it and she felt his hand grow cool, which soothed the pain. She looked up at his face and saw that it was slightly contorted with rage and hate.

"That bastard's going to pay," he said softly, removing his hand after a while.

"There's not much you can do now," Yuna said wearily. "You don't even have Hyourinmaru…"

"I know that…" Toushirou growled. "They put a block on my spirit energy as well, so I can't use kidou… I'm worthless right now."

"No you're not," Yuna said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "You're keeping me sane right now. If you weren't here, I'd be going wacko right about now."

Toushirou smirked slightly, which heightened Yuna's spirits a tad. He looked at her and said, "We're in trouble, Yuna."

"I know it…" she replied wearily. She then pushed herself to her feet, staggering slightly. "They put a block on your spirit energy, but they didn't on mine for some reason."

"Probably because they don't see you as much as a threat, since you aren't a full Shinigami."

"So they underestimate me, huh?" Yuna said with a smirk. She brought a hand up close to her face, all fingers closed except her pointer and thumb which were in a relaxed state. "I'll show them then…" She then swung her hand forward towards the bars, hoping to blow a hole through them…

Instead the fire she created struck a barrier of some sort and exploded.

"WAHH!!"

"Yuna!" Toushirou cried, throwing himself at her and sending them both to the back of the cell, his body covering hers. He looked down at her and glared. "Are you trying to kill us?!"

"Yes, Toushirou… I thought 'hey, we're gonna die anyway, let's just make it quick'."

Toushirou rolled his eyes and sat up, looking back at where the barrier still seemed to be smoking from Yuna's attack. "What was that?" he asked her.

"I call it Kidou Fire," Yuna replied, sitting up and wincing as she did from her injury. "I created it…"

"You what?!"

"I thought that maybe if I focused enough, I could form fire with spirit energy, and hey what do you know, it worked. I did lightening too, but that's about it."

"Yuna that could have been dangerous…"

"Yeah, well, when am I ever careful?"

"Good point…"

Yuna smiled and then it slowly turned to a frown. "What's gonna happen to us, Toushirou?" she asked softly.

Toushirou pulled her into his embrace, holding her close. "I don't know," he admitted, "but we'll get out of here. The others are going to be coming after us as soon as they can."

"But what if they can't…?"

"Then we'll get out of here ourselves."

Yuna buried her face into his yukata and could feel his heartbeat, pounding almost as fast as hers. _He's scared too… Although he won't ever show it, he's just as afraid as I am._ She heard footsteps approaching and looked up as a black man wearing dark glasses over his eyes approach. His hair hung in cornrows and she could see that beyond the dark glasses his eyes were closed, indicating that he was blind.

"Kaname Tousen…" Toushirou hissed softly.

He stopped in front of the cell and said, "Aizen will see you both now. Stand and don't cause trouble."

Toushirou helped Yuna stand and still held her close. They walked out of the cell as the door opened and were immediately flanked by what seemed to be two lesser Arrancar. He separated himself from her, but took a firm hold of her hand as Tousen led them down the dark passage. Only the sound of their feet walking on the stone was all they heard as they walked down the long passageway. Ahead Yuna could see a light forming and it grew bigger the closer they got. She squeezed Toushirou's hand tightly and his grip tightened as well.

They entered into a large white room that had a white throne in the center up on a dais that had three steps leading up to it. Sitting up on the throne was a man with dark eyes and brown hair that was slicked back except for a few strands that hung over his left eye. He smirked at the sight of them and said, "Welcome to my palace, Captain Hitsugaya…"

"Aizen!" Toushirou roared and he lunged forward, only to have Yuna pull him back by his arm. He didn't try again, but stood there trembling all the same.

"You must be wondering how I am alive, when it was you that pierced me with your Zanpakutoh," Aizen said, standing and stepping down from the dais. "Let's just say that the pretty girl who is clutching your arm is part of the reason I stand before you now."

"What…?" Toushirou exclaimed, looking at Yuna.

"What do you mean?" Yuna asked softly, fear creeping in her voice.

"Yuna Amaterasu, daughter of Jin Amaterasu, the Guardian of the Temple of the Forest Spirit, the one who gives life and takes life away. Your girlfriend hasn't exactly been telling you the whole truth of what she is."

Toushirou pulled away from Yuna and looked at her, his eyes widening. "Yuna…?" he asked softly. "What is he saying?"

Yuna looked away and said, "My village was of people who protected a sacred temple… from Hollows… that's why I knew so much about them when you first met me."

"She's a Hollow Slayer," Aizen said softly. "They protected the temple of a spirit that had control over life and death. It was said that no one could get past them… until the day _I_ arrived."

Yuna looked up at Aizen, her eyes widening. _It can't be…_

Aizen smiled and unsheathed his Zanpakutoh. He tossed it point down so it embedded itself into the stone floor. "Recognize the blade, Yuna?" he asked softly.

Yuna stared at the blade, remembering it being covered in the blood of her father and the other villagers. The memories came flashing back to her:

Aizen arrived in her village one day, seeming like a completely normal traveler. They welcomed him to their village and Yuna herself showed him around. She remembered him asking a few questions about the temple they protected, but she had answered them as bluntly as possible so as not to give away too much information.

That night, Hollows attacked and many of the slayers left to fight them. What the rest of the villagers didn't realize was that the main threat was still amongst them and they only found out when their homes were set afire and they felt the piercing blade of a sword run through each and every one of them. Yuna remembered running off after her father and finding him dead… seeing the sword that killed him… picking up at sword and running in the direction of the temple, just knowing that Aizen would be there.

He was there, inside the temple, walking up the steps of the tall dais towards the statue of the Forest Spirit. He was dressed in white clothing and had a hole in his chest, like an Arrancar, but with no mask. She ran up those steps and rose up the sword, screaming, but Aizen turned around in one fluid movement, grabbed a hold of her wrists and lifted her up into the air. She glared at him and he smiled wickedly at her before wrenching his Zanpakutoh from her hand and throwing her back down the stairs, which she crashed down and then blacked out when she hit the bottom.

When she woke up, Aizen was gone, the statue was destroyed and the sphere that had been in the statue was gone as well: the sphere that held the power of the spirit.

"It was you…" Yuna said softly. "You killed all the people of my village… and my father…"

"I wanted my own body back," Aizen said simply. "I wanted to become alive once more, so I needed the sphere. I used it to bring myself back, and Kaname here. I tried to bring back Gin, but he must still be alive somewhere… no matter. But here I am, all thanks to you and your people, Yuna."

Yuna growled and glared at Aizen. "Bastard…" she snarled.

Aizen just smiled and then he said, "Where is the phoenix, Yuna?"

"Huh?" Yuna exclaimed, becoming quite confused.

"Release your spirit energy and call it forth… I know you have it, so give it to me."

"Don't Yuna," Toushirou said. Yuna looked over at him, where he stood a few feet away after retreated from her when he realized that she'd lied to him, looking straight ahead. His eyes glowed with hurt, but a fierce determination was held in them as well. "He's trying to gain control of your spirit energy… don't let him, no matter what."

"I think I can convince her to give it to me," Aizen said, nodding to the two Arrancar behind them. The two retreated just as Sazuki and Zen entered and grabbed a hold of Toushirou. Kaze walked in, followed by the two Arrancar who held a long metal table between them. The table was set down before Aizen and Sazuki and Zen pulled Toushirou over to it. The two Arrancar managed to get the struggling captain lying on the table and Aizen performed a binding spell to prevent him from moving. "Now, I will ask again, Yuna," Aizen said softly. "Release your spirit energy to me."

"Don't Yuna," Toushirou said, turning his head to look at her. "No matter what, don't listen to him, you hear me?"

Yuna looked at Toushirou in the eye and whispered, "I'm sorry…"

"Your answer, Yuna?" Aizen asked, his smile widening, obviously thinking that she was going to give in.

Yuna looked at Toushirou until he nodded and then she looked up at Aizen. She glared at him and then smirked. "Here's my answer…" she said, before giving him the finger.

Toushirou cracked a smile as Aizen's disappeared. He then nodded and looked over at Sazuki. "Sazuki," he said softly. "Release your Zanpakutoh."

The long haired Arrancar nodded and walked over to stand over Toushirou's head. He unsheathed his Zanpakutoh, which was only about two feet long, and placed the tip on Toushirou's forehead.

"Sazuki's Zanpakutoh is quite interesting, stemmed off of his enjoyment of tormenting the souls he hunted before he devoured them when he was a Hollow," Aizen said, his cold smile returning. "He shall demonstrate on our young captain here." He then looked at Sazuki and nodded.

The Arrancar returned the nod before looking back down at Toushirou. "Kashou (Burn), Nejiru (Torturer)."

Toushirou began to scream loudly, the noise piercing Yuna's ears. With a cry, she brought her hands up to cover them, only to have Tousen come up behind her and bring her hands down, holding them behind her back. She squeezed her eyes shut, to prevent herself from looking at Toushirou thrashing on the metal table, unable to escape the pain.

"Open your eyes, girl," Aizen said over the white haired Shinigami's screams. "Or Sazuki will make it worse for him. You _will_ watch."

Yuna forced herself to open her eyes and felt tears stream down her face as she watched Toushirou being tortured in a way that she couldn't see. He continued to scream for what seemed like hours, Sazuki not letting up on what he was doing to him. Then Toushirou let out one last scream before going slack, his cerulean blue eyes blank and staring. For a moment, Yuna thought that he was dead until she saw his chest rise and fall with his shallow breathing. Sazuki removed his Zanpakutoh from Toushirou's forehead and sheathed it before he and Zen lifted up the unconscious Shinigami's body.

"I'll give you some time to think it over, Yuna," Aizen said. "Then I will have the two of you come back and if I must, I will put Captain Hitsugaya through that again, and will continue to do so until you give me the answer I want." He then gestured with his hand and Yuna was led away by Tousen.

Yuna shut her eyes, willing herself not to start sobbing. She couldn't stop Toushirou's screams echoing through her head.


	17. Chapter 16: Kashou Koukouto!

Chapter Sixteen: Kashou Koukouto!

"So Aizen has somehow returned to the living," Yamamoto said, looking at both Renji and Ichigo through the screen of the communicator. "You say that he has taken Captain Hitsugaya and Yuna Amaterasu?"

"Yes," Renji said, nodding. "Yuna faced off with an Arrancar and Captain Hitsugaya went to aid her. Before we could act, we sensed a Garganta opening and then both of their reiatsus vanished. They have been taken to Hueco Mundo."

"You said that you felt Amaterasu's reiatsu drop, but not Hitsugaya's, before both disappeared?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said. "My bet is that they threatened Yuna's life and forced Toushirou to go with them. He would do anything to make sure Yuna wasn't killed."

Yamamoto looked at the two of them and said, "Prepare yourselves to enter Hueco Mundo, Vice-Captain Abarai, and Ichigo Kurosaki. The two of you alone must enter the Hollow world and retrieve Captain Hitsugaya and Yuna Amaterasu. Rukia Kuchiki and Rangiku Matsumoto are to remain in the real world incase anything happens. We cannot allow Aizen to have his hands on those two Shinigami."

"Right!" both Ichigo and Renji coursed, nodding.

"Be careful," Yamamoto said before sighing off.

Ichigo looked at Renji and asked, "You think they're still alive?"

"They have to be," Renji said, turning to leave the room. "Or else why would Aizen take them alive in the first place?" He opened the door and stopped dead at the sight of Marlene standing there.

"Marlene?" Ichigo frowned and walked over, kneeling in front of the girl. She seemed paler than yesterday when Toushirou and Yuna were taken, her green eyes large. "What's wrong?"

"Shirou-kun…" the little girl said softly. "Shirou-kun is being hurt… I felt his pain. It burns inside and out. He's dying, Ichi-nii…" Then she started to cry softly.

Ichigo pulled Marlene close, comforting her. He looked up at Renji and they both silently shared the same statement.

They were running out of time.

.:x:.

Toushirou groaned painfully as he opened his eyes. He hurt all over, but the pain wasn't as horrible as it had been while it was being inflicted upon him. He was lying on the stone floor and he carefully pushed himself upright, looking around. At first he began to panic because he couldn't see Yuna anywhere in the cell. Then his eyes rested on her, sitting in the shadows, holding her knees close to her chest and staring at the floor in front of her. Once again, pain flitted through him, but it was a different kind of pain: emotional pain.

Yuna had lied to him, well, at least didn't tell him the whole truth, and that hurt more than the torture he just went through… how long was it ago? He looked over at where she sat across the cell room from him. Both were silent, neither saying anything, nor moving towards each other. Finally, Yuna whispered, "I'm sorry…"

"You should have told me," Toushirou said softly, his hurt evident in his voice.

"I wanted to forget… losing my family was hard enough, but remembering what I had been… plus, I was afraid of what you would think of me… that's not my life anymore and I wanted to put it behind me…" Yuna's arms tightened around her knees and Toushirou could see the tears in her eyes, glinting from the moonlight that streamed through the small window. "I wanted to forget… and I didn't want you to think of me differently. I know how Shinigami feel about the Quincy, and we were no different from them. We saw Hollows as monsters, not as lost souls, and we killed them as monsters. We protected a spirit that had control over life and death, instead of destroying the sphere that many before have tried to do… we were monsters and I just… I just… couldn't tell you… I didn't want you to see me as a monster…" Yuna pressed her face into her knees and began to cry softly.

Toushirou crawled over to her and sat beside her. Pulling her close to him, he held her tightly as Yuna pressed her face into his yukata and cried. "I don't see you as that, Yuna…" Toushirou said, running his fingers through her hair that was pulled up in a ponytail, focusing on not getting his fingers hooked into the loops of braids that surrounded the base. "I don't judge people by their past… I just wish you would have told me the whole truth."

"It's_my_ fault that Aizen is back!" Yuna cried. "If we didn't protect that sphere and destroyed it instead, then Aizen wouldn't have come back."

"He would have found another way, the bastard is like that," Toushirou said with a soft snort. "But think about it, Yuna… if things didn't happen like they did, even though most of them are horrible, we wouldn't have met. I would still be the stoic, stick-up-the-ass guy I had been before I met you."

Yuna giggled softly as he used her term for what she called him sometimes. "Guess you're right, but still…"

"What's done is done, and we can't change it, but we can deal with it. We'll get out of here and kick Aizen's ass and make sure he doesn't come back."

Yuna nodded and looked up at him, her eyes still wet from tears. She cupped his face with both of her hands and said, "I'm sorry he did that to you, just because he wants my spirit energy. I guess flipping him off when he asked for an answer wasn't the best idea."

"I thought it was brilliant," Toushirou said with a smile. "But still, Yuna, you can't give in, alright? No matter what he does to me, or you, do _not_ give him what he wants. He can't win."

"But… but… what if he… Toushirou, I don't want him to hurt you like that again. He said he was going to every time I don't give him the answer I want."

"Yuna," Toushirou said firmly, taking Yuna's hands and gripping them tightly. "I don't care what he does to me. Don't. Give. Him. What. He. Wants. Promise me that you won't, even if he… just, promise me okay?"

"But…"

"_Promise_ me, Yuna!"

Yuna nodded, fresh tears spilling from her eyes. "I promise," she whispered faintly.

Toushirou nodded and then he took her face in his hands and kissed her, putting as much passion and love in it as he could. Yuna's arms wrapped around his neck as he deepened their kiss, moving one of his arms to wrap around her waist while using the other to steady themselves as he lowered Yuna to the floor. Yuna's fingers tangled through his hair, making it messier than it was normally. He finished their kiss with a few soft, shallower kisses, before pressing his face into her neck and kissing her pulse. He drank in her scent and whispered, "When we get out of here, I'm making you mine."

He felt Yuna nod and sighed as she buried her face into his hair, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close. They laid like that for several minutes, each taking in the scent, feel and even reiatsu of the other, before Toushirou shifted himself to lie next to Yuna. Both of them facing each other and Toushirou closed his eyes as Yuna gently brushed that lock of hair that always hung over his left eye. He let out a soft, slightly shaky, sigh as her fingers moved lightly over his closed eyelids and brushed against his lips before she kissed them gently with her own. He slowly opened his eyes to stare into her violet ones. Yuna gave him a soft smile before snuggling her body close to his, her arms wrapping tightly around him.

Toushirou closed his eyes again and allowed a peaceful sleep to wash over him, holding Yuna close to himself. He didn't know how long it was going to last, but for now, he will take what he could.

.:x:.

Forty-eight hours was what it took for Urahara to locate Yuna's and Toushirou's reiatsus in Hueco Mundo and to prepare for the opening of a Garganta. Ichigo thought that forty-eight hours was too much time wasted, but it couldn't be helped. Even still, he couldn't help but wonder if Yuna and the icy 10th Division captain were still alive. _They have to be… both are too stubborn to give up and if one of them began to, the other would kick their ass back into gear, especially Yuna._

"All set?" Urahara yelled down to them from the beam he stood on that was sticking out from one of the cliff faces.

"Ready!" Ichigo yelled back.

"Be careful," Rangiku said softly, "and bring Captain and Yuna back."

Renji nodded and said, "We will."

"Don't do anything stupid, Ichigo," Rukia said teasingly although Ichigo could see the slight fear in her eyes.

"I'll try not to," Ichigo said with a smirk. Then he and Renji faced forward as Urahara opened the Garganta. The two Shinigami looked at each other, smirked and then jumped into the darkness, entering the world of Hollows. Using the spirit particles that made up the air of the world, they ran in the direction they could sense Yuna and Toushirou's, mainly Yuna's since Toushirou's seemed to be weakening, reiatsus.

"Hang on, guys," Ichigo said softly. "We're coming."

.:x:.

Although Toushirou continued to scream, Yuna knew that he wasn't there anymore, but somewhere deep in the recess of his mind, to escape from the pain that racked his body. She didn't know how long they've been in this hell, but Aizen has done this to Toushirou almost ten times now. After the second time, when he woke up again, Toushirou told her that when he pulled himself back into his mind, he couldn't feel the pain anymore. But every time he went through this torture after that, it took him longer and longer to wake up. Yuna was afraid that he was going to end up being lost in his mind and not wake up. But she had to keep her promise to him, no matter what.

Aizen made a cutting gesture with his hand and Sazuki pulled his Zanpakutoh back. The man looked up at Yuna, who still stared at Toushirou's still, heavily breathing form. His cerulean blue eyes were glazed over and staring into nothing and Yuna couldn't feel _anything_ coming from him. It was like he was nothing more than an empty shell now.

"Have you changed your mind yet, Yuna?" Aizen asked softly. "I don't think Captain Hitsugaya can take much more until his mind and body collapses."

Yuna looked up at Aizen, anger and hate blazing through her body. "Go to hell…" she growled.

Aizen just shrugged and gestured for Sazuki to continue. As Toushirou's screams filled the room again, Yuna retreated to the back of her mind. _How much longer do we have…? How much more of this can I actually take before I break?_

"_Yuna, can you hear me?"_

Yuna blinked but refused to allow her surprise to show on her face. _Now I'm hearing voices…_

"_So you can hear me… I am relieved."_

_Ah crap, I am hearing voices!_

"_You don't know who I am, do you?"_

Yuna thought for a while. The voice sounded calm, ancient and kind, but also powerful and fierce. And the feeling she felt when she heard him was a slight coolness, as if her body temperature dropped a few degrees. _Waitaminute! Hyourinmaru!?_

"_Yes, it is me,"_ the icy dragon said to her.

_How are you talking to me?_

"_You and Toushirou are linked, so I can communicate to you through him. I haven't done it before because you had yet to tap into your own Shinigami powers, but now, you are so close to hearing your _own_ Zanpakutoh that now I can talk to you through your mind."_

_You know what my Zanpakutoh is, don't you?_

"_Yes, and I can only help you so much… call out for her and she will hear you. But hurry… Toushirou doesn't have much time left."_

Yuna began to panic as she looked at Toushirou. _I won't let you die…_ she thought before retreating back into her mind and crying, _Help me, please! I need you now, please come to me!_ She heard nothing except a faint buzzing of her mind. _Where are you? Can you hear me?_

"_I can hear you…"_ a soft, musical but powerful voice said, sounding almost as ancient as Hyourinmaru's. It was female, but had a slight tenor to it as well. _"But… can you hear me?"_

_I can! Oh, thank goodness I can!_

"_I'm glad, now… can you hear my name? It's…"_

_What? I couldn't hear it!_

"_Listen with all of your heart and soul. Reach deep inside of yourself and pull me out."_

Yuna closed her eyes and she saw a burst of white and blue flame. _Is that you?_

"_It is me, now, reach out for me and hear my name. Pull me out and save the one you love!"_

"_You can do it, Yuna,"_ Hyourinmaru's voice said and Yuna looked around to see the icy dragon crouched beside her. _"Reach for her and bond to her."_

Yuna nodded and she stepped forward. She reached out and stuck her hand into the searing flames. She could feel them burning her skin, but she ignored it, focusing on the voice that was her Zanpakutoh.

"_Pull me in, and release me!"_

Yuna focused on drawing in that fire, as if she was drinking in water. She then thought of Toushirou and how she always drank in his scent. The flames seemed to cool, turning from immense pain to a warm comforting sensation. She embraced the warmth as she immersed herself deeper into the flames. _I'm coming, Toushirou…_

"_RELEASE ME!!"_

Yuna screamed as she felt her reiatsu and spirit energy explode. Something seemed to emerge from her body and amongst the flames she saw a hilt of a sword. It was long, just maybe an inch shorter than Hyourinmaru's, and bound in dark blue leather. She reached for it and pulled it out. She felt more than saw the true form of her Zanpakutoh as her name filled Yuna's head.

On the outside, Aizen and the Arrancar were suddenly shocked at the explosion of fire that engulfed Yuna. As they watched, a streak of flame burst from the fire and struck one of the lesser Arrancar. They heard the sound of a sword slicing through flesh and the screech of the Arrancar as it was killed.

The flames faded, revealing Yuna standing over a dead Arrancar. Her golden hair swayed from the pressure of her reiatsu, the beads in her thin braids, now blue and gold, clicking softly together. She was wearing the _shihakshou_ of a Shinigami, white _tabi_, and a pair of _zori_: the usual uniform of a Shinigami. The only difference was the long thin blue and gold scarf that wrapped around her neck, the ends reaching her knees. She turned her head towards Aizen and the Arrancar, who were staring at her with shock and surprise. She then held out her Zanpakutoh horizontal to the floor at her side and with her other arm outstretched, she slowly turned her body, creating a wind that was pleasantly warm to her, but unbearably hot to others. Her violet eyes glowed with an inner light as she called out her Zanpakutoh.

"Kashou Koukouto! (Burn Brightly!)" she cried. "Shirohouou! (White Phoenix!)"


	18. Chapter 17: Escape

**Okay, so I realized that I haven't put up the recent chapters that I've had done for several weeks now, so SORRY!!!! I also changed the color of Yuna's tattoo in chapter 11 and the color of Shirohouou, which you will probably notice in this chapter, so don't be confused when you read it. With all that, here you go and once again, sorry for the wait. (I was so sure that I updated this... . ')**  


Chapter Seventeen: Escape

Ichigo and Renji ran through the maze like hallways of what they guessed to me Aizen's palace. They could feel Captain Hitsugaya's and Yuna's reiatsus, only the icy captain's seemed to grow fainter with every pulse. It could only mean one thing: the captain was dying.

"Damn it…" Renji cursed as two Hollow appeared in front of them. "We're not going to make it in time."

"We will, damn it!" Ichigo yelled, slicing through one of the Hollow's white mask, destroying it. "We have to."

The two of them continued to take out more Hollow that tried to block their path and they could feel Hitsugaya's reiatsu growing fainter by the minute. Renji began to feel that they weren't going to make it to the captain before his reiatsu disappeared completely.

Suddenly, his reiatsu was shrouded by a high and powerful one. Ichigo and Renji looked at each other. They recognized the spirit pressure, and had a good feeling on what it meant.

"Yuna…" Ichigo said slowly.

"Ha!" Renji laughed, slicing through a Hollow with more enthusiasm than a moment before. "Looks like the spitfire obtained _shikai_. Aizen must be pissing his pants."

"Yeah, well, let's get there before he recovers," Ichigo said, running forward again once the way was cleared.

**.:x:.**

A white phoenix with blue flames on its wings and the top of its head hovered over Yuna, its wings beating slowly to keep it airborne. Two long dark blue tail feathers flowed around Yuna, the ends turning into flames, almost like they were shielding her from her enemies with the burning flames. Shirohouou was a replica of the tattoo on Yuna's shoulder. The phoenix's eyes were a bright violet and glared down at Aizen.

"Shirohouou…" Yuna said softly. "The female phoenix of blue fire…the only known female phoenix to be exact." She pointed her sword at Aizen and asked, "Is this the phoenix you seek."

Aizen smirked and said, "It is…"

"That's a shame…" Yuna said, closing her eyes with a small smile. "Because she doesn't want to go with you…" She then opened her eyes and shunpoed towards Aizen, swinging her blade down with a wave of fire. Shirohouou shrieked and swooped down at Aizen who dodged the attack. Yuna swung her blade in an arch and sent a wave of fire at Sazuki. The Arrancar burst into flames and began to shriek unworldly. "Shinkou Honoo (Deep Crimson Flame)," she said and the phoenix swooped down onto the burning Arrancar and released dark crimson flames at him from her beak. She passed through the Arrancar, as he let out one last shriek before disintegrating.

Shirohouou returned to Yuna, who sealed her Zanpakutoh and sheathed it onto her back in a dark blue sheath that was held to her back by a blue sash; a lot like Toushirou had Hyourinmaru. She turned to Toushirou on the table and broke the bindings on him with her own kidou. She sat him up and got him off the table, slinging one of his arms across her shoulders. "I'm getting you out of here," she said softly to him. She glared at Aizen one last time before shunpoing out of the throne room before either he or his minions could come out of their shock.

She got as far away from there as she could, suppressing her reiatsu like she'd been taught so it would make them harder to find. She finally slowed to a normal walk when she felt safe and began to find her way out of there. "Well this sucks, huh Toushirou?" Yuna said, looking over at the white haired captain. "None of those glowy signs that lead to an exit." Toushirou didn't reply, only stared blankly with his eyes glazed over. Yuna frowned as she turned a corner and then said, "First we need to find where they put your stuff…" _Hyourinmaru, can you still hear me?_

"_I can,"_ the ice dragon replied.

_Where are you being kept?_

"_Keep going straight… I can sense Toushirou coming closer."_

Yuna followed the Zanpakutoh's directions until he led her to a small room where she found Toushirou's Shinigami uniform, haori and Hyourinmaru. After redressing the still comatose captain, Yuna continued onward. She could sense Ichigo's and Renji's reiatsus somewhere, but was unsure where they were exactly in the vast building. "Hope I will bump into them…" she murmured. She glanced at Toushirou again and smirked. "Who would have thought that they would send the two boneheads to save us, eh, Toushirou?" As expected, she received no reply. _At least he's sorta walking on his own… that's a good sign._ As long as she had a hold of him and led him in the right direction, he moved almost on his own.

After a while, Toushirou's breathing started to become labored and at one point he stumbled. Yuna caught him and sighed wearily. "Sorry, Toushirou, I'd let you take a break, but I can't risk it. We need to keep moving."

Suddenly, three small Hollow attacked Yuna from behind. She reached over her shoulder and grasped Shirohouou's hilt. The sheath dissolved into red sparks as she swung the sword from her back and sliced one of the Hollows in half without even looking around. She then crouched, letting go of Toushirou, and then pushed off of the floor, swinging her blade in a fiery swing, taking out another Hollow. She then put a spin to the end of that attack to kill off the last Hollow. She cast a quick look around before returning her sword to her back where the sheath materialized back into place on the red sash and walked back over to where Toushirou lay a few feet away. She helped him back up, throwing one of his arms across her shoulders and wrapping one of her arms around his waist. "I'm getting the hang of this Shinigami thing," she told him as they continued forward towards Ichigo's and Renji's reiatsus, moving at a slow pace so Toushirou wouldn't collapse from exhaustion.

She turned a corner and her way was blocked by two lesser Arrancar. "Where do you think you're going, sweet thing?" one said.

Yuna sighed and gently lowered Toushirou to sit against the wall. "Lemme take care of these losers…" she said, unsheathing her sword again, only this time shoving it into the stone floor, tip first, in front of the comatose Shinigami. A softly glowing gold barrier surrounded Toushirou around him, protecting him from any attacks. "Protect him, Shirohouou," Yuna said softly to her Zanpakutoh before facing her opponents and shifting into a fighting position.

"Ha! The little girl's gonna take us without her sword!"

"I'll show you little…" Yuna said with a small smile before launching herself forward and slamming a fist into the Arrancar who spoke's head. There was an explosion of gold and red light before the Arrancar dissolved into black miasma. The other one's eyes widened and he unsheathed his Zanpakutoh. He swung it down and Yuna brought up an arm to block it, using spirit energy to form a barrier around her arm to protect it. She swung her other fist at the Arrancar, who dodged it.

"Getsuga Tensho! (Moon Fang Striking the Sky)"

Yuna smirked as Ichigo's attack sliced through the unsuspecting Arrancar and she threw in one final strike before it dissipated. She looked over at where Ichigo and Renji stood in their _bankai _forms and raised her eyebrows. "Took you two long enough?" she asked.

"Hey, we're here to save your ass," Renji said, "so don't give us lip."

"Yeah, yeah," Yuna said, waving her hand at them as she returned to where Toushirou still sat. Pulling her sword free from the floor, which dismissed the barrier, she crouched in front of him. "Time to get out of here, Toushirou," she said softly. "Hang in there for just a little bit longer." She then helped him up and faced the other two.

Renji's eyes widened at the sight of the prodigy captain and Ichigo sputtered out, "W-what happened?!"

"Aizen…" was all Yuna said before continuing forward. "Let's just get him out of here."

Yuna followed Ichigo and Renji as they backtracked their way out of the palace. Then Ichigo began to fish through his _shihakshou_, muttering, "Where is it, where is it… ha!" He held out a small marble and said, "Urahara made this so we can get out of here." He then broke the marble between his fingers and a Garganta opened up into the real world.

Yuna went through, taking Toushirou with her, the other two right behind her. She found herself in the underground cavern of Urahara's shop. She let out a sigh of relief before she suddenly felt lightheaded. She was able to see Ichigo lunge for her as she began to collapse before she blacked out.

**.:x:.**

Yuna opened her eyes to see Orihime looking down at her. The girl's face broke into a grin as she said, "Oh, you're awake Yuna! Thank goodness!"

Yuna slowly sat up, letting out a soft moan as she did. She looked around and saw that she was lying on a mat in a back room of Urahara's shop, wearing a yukata. "How long was I out?" she asked.

"Umm… three days now," Orihime said. "It was mostly from exhaustion, why you passed out, but part of it was obtaining your _shikai_ so fast in one shot, Urahara said."

Yuna nodded and then she looked over at Orihime. "Where's Toushirou?" she asked.

Orihime's eyes saddened slightly and Yuna felt something tighten inside of her. "He's… he's alive, if that what you're wondering," she said. Before Yuna could give a sigh of relief, the girl continued. "But… he's in like a coma… Urahara says that he's lost somewhere in his mind and can't get out. He says that the longer he stays like that, the less likely he's going to recover and wake up."

Yuna looked away and stared at the wall, her mind buzzing. Toushirou never waking up… just the thought made her want to scream at the unfairness of it all. "It's my fault…" she said softly, tears falling slowly from her eyes.

"Huh?!"

"Aizen tortured Toushirou to try to get at me, to try to make me give him my spirit energy, or at least side with him so he could use it. Toushirou told me not to give in, no matter what. He made me promise and now he's… it's my fault…"

"No, it's not…"

Yuna looked around and stared at Ichigo who was leaning against the doorframe. She blinked, figuring that he'd been there for a while now.

"Don't blame yourself, because it isn't your fault," he said. "Toushirou made the decision to protect you, and nothing would stop him from doing it after he had his mind set on it. The little bastard is stubborn like that. He cares about you enough to put his life, sanity, hell even his duty, on the line for you and when he cares for someone that much, he'll do anything for them, no matter what. He's strong and he'll pull through, so if you feel that you owe him, just being there for him will be more than enough. Blaming yourself won't help you any and will only make him worse. He needs you now, so stay strong for him."

Yuna nodded and wiped her eyes. "You're right," she said, "but I still feel guilty…"

"Someday, when you put your life on the line for him, you'll understand."

Yuna looked over at Orihime and said, "I want to see him… can you help me?"

Orihime nodded and she helped Yuna stand up. Ichigo walked up beside her and guided her with a hand on the small of her back. Orihime held her hand and elbow and the three of them made their way to the other room.

When they walked in, they immediately saw the young captain lying on a mat on the floor, wearing a clean yukata, his eyes closed with a white blanket covering him to his chest and his arms on top of the blanket at his sides. Rangiku sat beside him, holding one of his hands. She looked up at their entrance and Yuna knew that the lieutenant hadn't slept in days by the dark circles under her eyes and the way her hair was all in disarray. She gave Yuna a warm smile as Ichigo and Orihime led her to Toushirou's other side. "I'm glad to see you awake and alright," Rangiku said softly.

"How is he?" Yuna asked as she slowly sank to the floor beside him. She took his other hand in one of hers, gently brushing her thumb over the back of it. His skin was cold, like ice.

"I think he's dreaming," Rangiku replied, looking down at Toushirou's peaceful face. "His eyelids twitch every once in a while and I can see his lips move as if he's talking or something. But he doesn't respond to anything I say or do… I haven't left his side since Renji and Ichigo brought the two of you back." Rangiku then looked up at Yuna and said, "They told me how you protected him against two Arrancar. Thank you, for doing that."

Yuna nodded and said, "I wanted to get the both of us out of there." She looked at Rangiku and said, "Why don't you get some sleep? I'm going to stay with him now."

Rangiku looked hesitant until Ichigo placed a hand on her shoulder. "You can't do much to help him if your exhausted, Rangiku," he said.

"Ichigo's right," Renji said, coming into the doorway that led to the front of the shop. "Come on, Rangiku. We'll get something to eat and then you can rest."

Rangiku nodded and after squeezing Toushirou's hand lightly and planting a soft kiss on his forehead, she stood up and walked out with Renji, who wrapped an arm around her waist as he led her out. Yuna looked up at Ichigo and asked, "Where's our Zanpakutoh?"

"Urahara has them somewhere safe, why?"

"Can I have them both? I think it'll help Toushirou if Hyourinmaru is close to him, since he was separated from him the entire time we were in Hueco Mundo. And I want mine with me."

Ichigo nodded and he left to get hers and Toushirou's weapons. Orihime gave Yuna one last smile before walking out as well. When Ichigo came back with the Zanpakutoh, Yuna placed Hyourinmaru on his other side and rested Shirohouou next to her. She then held Toushirou's hand up and placed a soft kiss on the back of it. "I'm here, Toushirou," she said softly. "And I'm not leaving you until you open and look at me with your beautiful eyes again."


	19. Chapter 18: Dive into the Heart

Chapter Eighteen: Dive into the Heart

Yuna stayed with Toushirou for the next two days. She would talk to him, hoping that maybe it would help wake him up, but she was unsuccessful. The young Shinigami captain laid like he was sleeping, breathing evenly with a peaceful look on his face. From time to time the peacefulness would be broke by a grimace or furrowed eyebrows, sometimes his eyes would twitch and his lips would move so quick that she wasn't sure what he was saying. But other than that, no one would think that he had gone through a terrible ordeal and was now suffering the consequences for it.

As lieutenant of the 10th Division, Rangiku took over the mission in Toushirou's wake, and she put her all into it, saying that she wanted her captain to be proud of her when he woke up; they all were using that word: _when_, not _if_.

As Yuna recovered herself, she didn't leave Toushirou's side. She slept and ate beside him and if she had to leave, she made sure that it wasn't for more than five minutes. But as the days went by, she began to think that maybe he wasn't going to wake up this time.

On the third night, Yuna woke up to silence, moonlight streaming through the window and making Toushirou's hair glow silver. She slowly sat up, not removing her hand from his and she looked at his face. "Where are you, Toushirou?" she whispered softly. She adjusted the blanket over her shoulders to keep out the cold and sat up, looking into his calm features. She started to feel her eyes droop again as she said, "I wish I could find you, and help you back…"

Yuna blinked and she found herself in what looked like a cave that had crevices and pools of fire and lava. When she looked down at herself, she saw that she was in her Shinigami outfit with the red and gold scarf and all. There was a _whoosh _noise behind her and she looked around and let out a soft gasp as a giant white bird, bigger than two large elephants, with blue flames on the bottoms of its wings and on its head landed beside her, black talons scraping the stone and creating sparks. It had a long graceful neck and the proud head of a falcon. Its eyes, a deep violet, stared down at Yuna with an ancient intelligence and the two long tail feathers lay on the ground, circling itself and her. Yuna knew who this was immediately and she ran up to it and threw her arms around the phoenix's neck, or as far around as she could. "Shirohouou…" she murmured into the soft and pleasantly warm feathers.

"_So you found me, little one,"_ she said softly in that familiar voice that had guided Yuna in Hueco Mundo. _"I am proud of you. You've grown so much in such a short time._

"_You're looking for him, aren't you?"_

Yuna looked up at Shirohouou and said, "I need to take me to Toushirou if you can."

The phoenix nodded and crouched so Yuna could crawl up onto her back right at the end of her neck. Then the great bird stood and spread her winds wide. With a powerful flap, she was airborne and the world around them seemed to swirl with color. Yuna pressed her face into Shirohouou's neck as the bird flew, her blonde hair whipping behind her. They flew at such a great speed for a while before Yuna felt her slow down and she lifted her head up to see that they were now lowering to the ground. The world around them had changed into a snowy landscape surrounded by mountains. They landed in front of a giant icy blue dragon that was curled in the snow. Yuna jumped down from Shirohouou's neck, her feet sinking slightly in the snow, the cold wind whipping at her hair and clothing.

As she approached the dragon, it opened its glowing red eyes and lifted its head slightly to look at her. _"You came,"_ he said in a deep voice.

"Hyourinmaru!" Yuna gasped.

The dragon chuckled and looked up at Shirohouou. _"So you brought her then?"_

"_I did… she asked me to take her to him."_

Hyourinmaru nodded and then lifted his head up more and lifted a wing, revealing the small figure he was protecting from the snow and wind. Yuna let out a soft gasp and ran over to where Toushirou laid pressed against the dragon's flank. She dropped down beside him and then looked between the dragon and phoenix. "How… how am I here? Where…?"

"_This is Toushirou's heart, his mind,"_ Hyourinmaru said softly. _"Just as you were able to communicate with me, you can enter this world, as long as you are with Shirohouou."_

"_And the same goes for Toushirou, in coming into my world,"_ Shirohouou said from where she nestled herself beside Hyourinmaru, caging in Toushirou and Yuna between them. The two ancient creatures were about the same size, phoenix a bit smaller than dragon. _"The two of you are linked in a way that hasn't been in several thousand years."_

"_That's why the two of you feel a tingle in your souls when you are near each other, and why you, Yuna, can feel Toushirou's feelings with your empathy more than anyone else's."_

Yuna looked down at where Toushirou was curled against Hyourinmaru. He was dressed in his Shinigami uniform and haori, his white hair blending in with the snow around him. His eyes were closed, but his face wasn't as peaceful as it was outside of this world. She reached for him, but then looked up at Hyourinmaru. "Will he wake up here?" she asked him.

The dragon nodded and said, _"Only you can bring him back. I've tried, but it seems that he needs your guidance as well as mine."_

Yuna nodded and she gently ran her fingers through Toushirou's hair. He moaned and his eyes slowly opened. They flickered up to look at Yuna and they immediately cleared as he shot upright. "Yuna?" he gasped.

Yuna smiled and nodded and then she smacked him in the back of the head… hard. "Don't ever scare me like that again, you hear me?" she said, her voice rising from all the emotion swirling around inside of her. "I thought that you weren't ever going to get better!"

Toushirou rubbed the back of his head, still staring at her incredibly. "How are you here?" he asked.

She told him everything that Shirohouou and Hyourinmaru told her and when she finished, he looked over at the phoenix and smiled. "So you found your Zanpakutoh," he said. "I'm proud of you."

"Not without help, believe me," Yuna replied, "but thanks."

Toushirou looked at her and asked, "Are we…?"

"No, we're out of there. We're safe now. So you can wake up anytime… like, now would be nice."

He shook his head and said, "I… I don't know if I can… I've been hiding here for such a long time… it just kept getting harder and harder to get back."

"Come on," Yuna said, taking his hand into hers. "You can do it, just feel for me. Feel for my heart." She could feel herself leaving and she looked back at Shirohouou. "See you soon?"

The phoenix nodded and Yuna looked back at Toushirou. "I'll see you back in the real world," she said softly.

When Yuna blinked again, she found herself back in the room in Urahara's shop, her hand still in Toushirou's. She looked down at his face and saw that his eyes were still closed. She brought his hand to her cheek and whispered, "Follow my voice, and the fire of my heart. Let it lead you back to me…"

She felt his fingers twitch and then they moved on their own across her cheek and lips. She watched with a growing feeling inside of her as his eyes slowly opened, glazed from such a long sleep. They blinked a few times, staring at the ceiling, before flickering and fixing on Yuna's face. They stared at each other for a few moments before Toushirou curled his body so his head rested on Yuna's lap, his arms snaking around her waist. She felt warm tears slide down her face as she ran her fingers through his snowy hair. "Welcome back…" she said softly.

**.:x:.**

"What's been going down? I need updates here."

Yuna couldn't stop the smile that spread on her face. Toushirou had only been awake for less than a day and he was already back in captain mode. _That's Toushirou Hitsugaya for you…_ She sat next to him, both of them with their backs to the wall. He had one of her hands in both of his on his lap, his thumbs unconsciously brushing against the back of it. Both of them were out of their bodies still, although Yuna was now in her _shihakshou_ when Toushirou was still in only a yukata. Rangiku, Ichigo and the others sat around in front of them.

"No sign of the Arrancar," Rangiku said, her face serious although her eyes sparkled with happiness from the fact that her captain was awake and now making progress with his recovery. "I've been making daily reports to the Captain-Commander on how things are going and as of right now, things have been rather quite."

"The calm before the storm…" Toushirou murmured softly, looking down at his lap. "Aizen is rethinking his plan, knowing that he can't get to us as easily as before."

"Why did he want the two of you though?" Ichigo asked.

"Because our Zanpakutoh are connected… you all know that legend of the dragon and phoenix that bonded with a Shinigami and human?"

"Isn't that just a story?" Ishida asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Obviously not," Toushirou said, looking at the Quincy. "Hyourinmaru and Shirohouou are the same dragon and phoenix of that story. They said that that the story is a bit altered of what really happened, but it was them. That is why Yuna can communicate with Hyourinmaru and was able to enter his world with Shirohouou."

"Can you speak with Shirohouou?" Rukia asked.

Toushirou shook his head and said, "She hasn't tried to speak with me yet, so I'm not sure."

"They also said that the two of us are linked," Yuna said, "but they're being hush-hush on how we are."

"So that's why Aizen wants you both," Renji said, frowning. "He figures that the two of you together, one with the most powerful ice and water Zanpakutoh and one with what may now be possibly the most powerful fire Zanpakutoh, will create a force powerful enough…"

"…to wipe out Soul Society completely, yes," Toushirou finished.

"But Yuna has just obtained _shikai_," Ichigo said.

"And I killed an Arrancar with just that," Yuna pointed out.

"Probably because you had the element of surprise on your side," Toushirou said, looking at Yuna with a small smirk. "You were just lucky. Next time, they will be prepared."

"Way to bust my bubble… thanks Toushirou…"

Toushirou chuckled and then turned serious again. "But seriously, Yuna, you need to train, gain more control over your Zanpakutoh, and become stronger, before…"

"Aizen decides to show his ugly face again?"

Toushirou smiled slightly and nodded. "Exactly… So when I get better, we're finishing where we left off before this whole mess."

"Except you won't be beating the crap out of me this time around…"

"Just because you now have your Zanpakutoh and obtained _shikai_, doesn't mean that I'm going easy on you now."

"I don't expect it," Yuna said and then gave Toushirou a wicked smirked. "So don't expect me to do so as well."

**.:x:.**

Toushirou only needed three more days until he was well enough again to start training and return back to the daily routine. When he and Yuna returned to school, they made up a story saying that they took a long weekend, which Keigo took in the most perverted way possible.

After school, training would begin and Yuna found herself being forced out of her gigai by Ichigo's Shinigami badge, which was temporarily until Urahara found a good quality Gikongan for her to use when she needed to get out of her body.

Yuna faced off against Toushirou, her Zanpakutoh unsheathed and in her hand. Toushirou held his Zanpakutoh before him, gripping the long hilt in both of his hands. His body began to glow with an icy blue light, his growing reiatsu causing his clothing and hair to sway slightly. His eyes were closed as the light grew brighter, larger and moved like fire. As Yuna raised her reiatsu, the outcome was the same, but the color of the light was the gold color of autumn leaves.

When Toushirou opened his eyes, they glowed with an inner silvery light. His reiatsu seemed to explode from under his feet at he said, "Ready, Yuna?"

Yuna smiled, her eyes now glowing with an inner gold light, and raised her Zanpakutoh slightly as she took her fighting stance, the blade parallel to the ground. "Bring it on," she said.

Toushirou jumped high into the air, raising his sword as ice began to spiral around the blade. The usual blue sky of Urahara's training area was covered in dark gray clouds as Toushirou yelled, "Souten ni Zase, Hyourinmaru!" The ice formed and took shape of the icy dragon, who roared and swirled around Toushirou, eyes glowing like rubies.

"Kashou Koukouto, Shirohouou!" Yuna cried, bringing her Zanpakutoh high before slashing it downward. Fire burst from her blade and swirled around her before taking on the shape of the white and blue phoenix formed completely out of fire. Shirohouou opened her beak and piped out a haunting but beautiful melody that was her war cry as she rose into the air, wings spread and long tail spiraling around Yuna.

Toushirou swung his sword down, sending Hyourinmaru towards Yuna, who swung her own sword up, sending Shirohouou towards the icy dragon. The two creatures clashed, sending out a burst of reiatsu that blew up sand and made the cliffs shake. Toushirou's blade clashed against Yuna's, his icy reiatsu mingling with her fiery one.

High up on top of a cliff where he was safe from the two young Shinigami, Urahara watched them, a serious look on his face. He frowned as he watched the two training for may possibly be another Winter War, finally seeing what he'd been looking for. "So… that's how the two of you are connected…" he said softly.


	20. Chapter 19: The Reiraku that Binds Us

Chapter Nineteen: Reiraku That Binds Us

"_The 25__th__ Annual Karakura High Winter Ball; Saturday, December 20__th__; Semi-formal attire required. _Captain, we have to go!"

"No we don't…" Toushirou grumbled from where he was leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest. "There's too much going on, so we don't have time for a dance…"

"But Captain," Rangiku protested, waving hr hands excitedly. "This is something we need. We've been so busy training for who-knows-what and we haven't had the time to just enjoy ourselves! At least one night, Captain… who knows when we'll get another chance…"

Toushirou sighed and looked towards the ceiling before looking to the floor and pinching the bridge of his nose. _How do I put up with her…?_ "Alright, alright, you and everyone else can go…"

He winced when Rangiku squealed loudly with delight, feeling a headache coming on. "Oh, thank you Captain!" she exclaimed before suddenly clamming up and frowning. "Wait… me and everyone else… what about you, Captain? Aren't you going?"

"Someone has to keep an eye out on the town, in case Hollow show up," Toushirou said, pushing off of the wall with one foot.

"But, what about Yuna?"

Toushirou frowned and then shrugged, "I don't even know if she's going…"

"Of course she is!" Rangiku exclaimed. "You both are going, and that's that! Captain, don't you recognize the date?"

Toushirou glanced back at the flyer on the wall. _December 20__th__… oh…_ "Yeah…" he said softly, "and I'm still not going…"

"But Captain…"

"I made my decision, Matsumoto, so stop pestering me about it!" he snapped, lifting up his bag and throwing the strap over his head and onto his shoulder before walking down the hall. Other students in the hall stepped away at the sight of his face, but he ignored all of them. He retreated to the rooftop, where it was quiet and he could have some peace to clear his head.

**.:x:.**

"Yuna! Yuna!"

The said blonde looked around and saw Rangiku running towards her, waving her hand over her head to get her attention. Yuna frowned as she stepped off the walkway to wait for the busty woman. The ground was covered in snow and the clouds were heavy with looked like more snow. Everyone was dressed in coats, scarves and gloves to keep out the winter chill.

Rangiku stopped when she caught up with Yuna, panting slightly. "Yuna… have you… seen… Captain…?" she asked between pants.

"No… I was actually wondering where he disappeared to… I can't even feel his reiatsu…"

Rangiku sighed and slapped her forehead lightly. "Oh, I screwed this one up…" she moaned.

"Huh?"

"That Winter Ball that the school is throwing," Rangiku explained, pulling out the flyer from her bag and handing it to Yuna. "Look at the date…"

"_December 20__th_... what's up with that?" Yuna asked, looking up at Rangiku.

"It's Captain's birthday… which he hasn't celebrated since Hinamori died."

"Oh…" Yuna said slowly, understanding.

"Yeah, and I was pestering him about going with you… you are going, right?"

"Yeah," Yuna replied, nodding. "I'm helping Rinoa decorate and prepare it, so I'm getting two free tickets…"

"Well… Captain says he's not going and he got really mad when I kept bugging him about it…"

"So that's why he's gone off somewhere," Yuna said, sighing. She then began to head back to the school.

"Hey, where are you going?" Rangiku called out.

"I know where he is," Yuna said, looking back over her shoulder. "I'm gonna go talk to him."

"Be careful… he was pretty mad."

Yuna just waved to Rangiku before running back into the school and heading up to the rooftop. Sure enough, the white haired Shinigami was up there, leaning against the chain-link fence that surrounded the edge of the roof, his cell phone out. He wasn't even hitting any buttons, but just staring at the screen. Yuna leaned against the doorway, watching him for a while. Now that he was close, she could feel his emotions rolling around like a rollercoaster. It was a mixture of anger, sadness, self-hate, suffering and others that she couldn't pin-point exactly but she knew that there wasn't one positive emotion in that mix.

Toushirou's eyes flickered up to look at Yuna and with a _snap_ he shut his phone. "Matsumoto send you after me?" he said, his voice colder than usual, especially with her.

"No, she didn't know where you were," Yuna said, frowning at his tone. "I figured you were up here, so I came up. She told me that you're… upset…"

Toushirou snorted and turned away, hands in the pockets of his pants. Although Yuna had her coat and scarf on, all Toushirou wore was the cream colored sweater vest over his un-tucked school uniform top and gray pants. "Upset doesn't even cut how I'm feeling right now," he growled.

"She told me that you got all riled up because of the dance…"

"That's not it!" he snapped, whipping his head around to glare at her.

Yuna's frown deepened and she placed her hands on her hips. "Then please explain it to me, because I can't help you if you don't tell me what's bugging you…"

"You wanna help?" Toushirou snarled, looking away from her. "Then leave me alone."

Yuna blinked with surprise. This wasn't like Toushirou… _at all_. "Is it because it's on your birthday?" she asked. "Rangiku told me that you haven't celebrated one since Hinamori died… Toushirou, if that's it, then I understand how you feel…"

"No, you don't…"

"Like hell I don't!" Yuna yelled, beginning to become upset by the way he was speaking to her. "I lost my family too, Toushirou, so I know exactly how you would feel on those special days…"

"How do I know that you weren't lying about all of that?" Toushirou hissed, glaring at Yuna. "You lied to me before about your past."

It was like being stabbed in the heart. Yuna could feel her tears building up as her vision blurred. "That's low, Hitsugaya…" she whispered. "That's really, _really_ low, even for you…

"You know what…? Screw you; I don't even know why I bother…" With that, she turned around and walked back into the school, running as soon as she was out of hearing range, blocking her reiatsu so he wouldn't know how much he hurt her just then.

**.:x:.**

Throughout the rest of the day, neither of them spoke to each other. Ichigo and the others noticed this and even though they were worried, they didn't ask about what was going on. Rangiku felt horrible and wasn't as bubbly as she usually was. Rukia and Orihime spent most of their time with Yuna, while the guys stayed clear of Toushirou in case he ended up lashing at them, seeing as he hurt the girl he cared for more than anything.

After school, Yuna headed over to Urahara's, telling Orihime and Rukia that she was going to try the conversing-with-your-Zanpakutoh that Urahara told her to try sometime to make herself stronger.

"Alright," Rukia said, giving Yuna a smile. "But, if you want to take out your frustration on something, give me a holler and we'll practice."

"'Kay," Yuna replied, before continuing to the shop.

Once she got there, she got out of her body and went down to the training area. She picked out a spot high up on a cliff, one of the highest ones. Shirohouou liked high places, so Yuna thought that that spot was best. She unsheathed her sword and stuck it point down into the ground before sitting Indian-style in front of it. She closed her eyes, resting her hands on her lap and reached out to converse with the fiery bird.

"_You're heart is riled up with emotions, Yuna…"_

_Yeah… I had a tough day…_

"_I know, little one… and I'm sorry that things have to be this way right now, but it will pass."_

_Shirohouou, I've been meaning to ask you something._

"_What is it?"_

_Am I strong enough to obtain _bankai_ before we go to war?_

"_That is for you to decide. Whenever you are ready, I am ready. Keep training and I will help guide you to that point. We'll do it together and become strong._

"_Now, there are some things I would like to teach you. There are other attacks that you can use besides Shinkou Honoo. Most of them you can't use until you achieve _bankai_ but there is one ability that you can use, even without me released. It's called Houou Bankoku, or Phoenix Tears. It's a healing ability, using the power of phoenix tears to heal injuries. But remember this: the greater the injury, the more spirit energy it will take to heal it. I will help you learn to use this ability soon."_

_Okay then, and when I achieve _bankai_, you'll teach me other things?_

"_Yes I will, and the next time you train, link with me and I'll teach you new moves that will help in a real battle. There is more to just powerful attacks when you use me._

"_Now, there's someone here to see you, and I suggest that you try to listen and not be stubborn, no matter how much you are hurting right now. You can come and speak with me afterwards if you wish."_

Yuna opened one eye when she felt a flood of emotions she knew were coming from only one person. She could see the shadow being cast on the ground in front of her from the person who stood behind her. Closing her eyes again, she sighed, trying to keep reign on her emotions. "Why are you here?"

She heard the gravel shift under sneakered feet and sensed a strong wave of guilt and sorrow coming from the person behind her. "I just…" Toushirou said softly. "I just… I want to say, I'm sorry for today. I thought a lot about it all day long and I realize that I was a complete ass to you when you were only there to just… _be_ there for me. I'm feeling really shitty right now…"

"You should be…" Yuna said, without opening her eyes or turning to look at him. She felt his guilt rise, but she still didn't look at him.

"I didn't mean what I said," he said, his voice soft and full of hurt. "I didn't mean to hurt you… it's just every year on that day, I think of the last time I spent it. It was on a rooftop with Momo, Aizen, and a few others and we were watching the fireworks. I look back on that and I just can't believe that everything happened the way it did. So my birthday… it just brings bad memories… and I shouldn't have taken it out on you and I'm sorry… Yuna, I'm really…"

"Shut up…" Yuna said with a soft sigh. Toushirou's sorrow spiked at that, so she opened her eyes and turned her head to look up at him. He had changed out of his school clothes and was wearing a gray sweater with blue jeans and sneakers. "Stop apologizing already… it doesn't suit you…"

Toushirou blinked at her and she was slightly surprised to see the tears glistening in his eyes. He then smiled and swiped a hand across his eyes. "Yeah…" he said, his voice hoarse as if he was holding back from crying. "Never thought that I would ever have to beg someone for forgiveness… you do forgive me, right?"

"Yeah, I do… I know you're sorry, I can sense it." Yuna pushed herself to her feet and taking Shirohouou, she sheathed her Zanpakutoh before turning to face Toushirou. "Guess that was our first fight," she said.

"Yeah, guess so…"

Yuna smiled and then she held her arms out. He took the offer and the white haired Shinigami stepped into her embrace, burying his face into the crook of her neck. They stayed like that for a while until Toushirou pulled away and looked at Yuna. "So, we're okay now?"

Yuna nodded and then said, "If you don't want to go, that's fine. I can give my tickets to someone else and we can just do something together on our own."

Toushirou shook his head and said, "No, I'll go. Matsumoto's right…" He turned his head and stared off, his eyes hardening slightly. "Who knows when we will be able to just enjoy ourselves again? This may be our last chance to just do something for ourselves without worrying about anything before all hell breaks loose. We're in a calm now… let's just enjoy it while we can."

"So you'll go?"

"Yeah…"

"Thank God!" Yuna exclaimed. Toushirou looked around back at her and she smiled. "I already bought my dress."

He laughed and then kissed her lightly on the forehead. Their moment was broken by Urahara yelling up at them, telling them to come down. "What does that man want now?" Toushirou grumbled.

Yuna shrugged and the two of them made their way down to where Urahara waited for them. The shop owner smiled slightly and said, "I've been waiting to tell the both of you together…"

"What are you talking about, Urahara?" Toushirou asked, frowning slightly.

"I found out how the two of you are linked," he replied, looking at them from under his hat.

Yuna blinked and then asked, "How?"

"This…" Urahara reached out and the area around them darkened as glowing white ribbons appeared around them. The one Urahara reached for, however, was a blood red one. "Reiraku…" he said. "This one… is mine… yours however…" He released his reiraku and grasped another one. Toushirou and Yuna's eyes widened at the reiraku strand he held.

It was the same blood red as a Shinigami's reiraku, but threading through the ribbon was strands of what looked like ice and fire. Closer inspection made them realize that the ribbon was actually _two_, bonded together by the threads of fire and ice.

"It's your reiraku that binds the two of you together," Urahara said softly, looking at them. "In other words… you basically share the same reiraku."

"Im-impossible!" Toushirou exclaimed.

"It isn't, because here's the proof," Urahara said, releasing the strand. The ribbons vanished and the area around them returned back to normal. "If one of you was to die, the other would feel it and would for the rest of their days feel as if a part of them was cut away, like an arm or leg, but it would be much deeper than that."

"How come we never felt each other before though?" Yuna asked.

"Time… it's always an issue. I believe that direct contact would have triggered the two of you sensing the other's presence."

Yuna and Toushirou looked at each other, thinking the same thing. That very first day in the hall, when Yuna bumped into Toushirou as she rushed by, was when they started feeling the other's presence.

"You both were separated by time, but destined to meet each other sooner or later. Fate, it seems, has her own way of making things happen."

"So, what now?" Toushirou asked, looking at the ex-Shinigami.

Urahara tilted his hat slightly, looking up at them from under its rim. "Listen to your Zanpakutoh… they will teach you."


	21. Chapter 20: Happy Birthday, Toushirou

Chapter Twenty: Happy Birthday, Toushirou

"This is going to be so much fun!" Rangiku squealed from where she stood in front of Orihime's standing, full body mirror, turning this way and that to inspect herself in the close fitting, low necked, haltered black dress. Her breasts looked like they were about to burst free from the top, but just like in her _shihakshou, _she managed to keep them in. "And Yuna, I can't believe that you convinced Captain to go!"

"Don't pester him about it tonight, okay Rangiku?" Yuna said, poking her head around the dressing screen she was changing behind, her blonde hair falling around her bare shoulders. "I'm glad that he's going, but I also know that it's probably been a tough day for him too. I want him to remember this night as the first birthday he's enjoyed since…"

Rangiku nodded and said, "I know, and so for his birthday, I won't drive him up the wall… well, not too much anyway."

Yuna nodded with a smile before retreated back behind the screen.

"We should have done something for his birthday," Orihime said from the bed with Rukia, doing up the smaller woman's hair. "Just to show that we care."

"No, Captain doesn't like big things like that," Rangiku said. "He gets all twitchy. But I think that we should all make sure that he has a great time, and take care of any Hollow that decides to pop up during the night, just so he can relax and not have to worry."

"He's gonna worry anyway," Yuna said, coming out from behind the screen. "That's just how he is… so, how do I look?" She stood before the other girls, dressed in a blue dress almost the same shade as Toushirou's eyes that fell to her shins with a split going up her thigh and was strapless. Around the edges of the split were cherry blossom petals done in silvery thread and the back of the bodice was tied with cross ties to hold the top up securely. Her hair she was going to keep down and put some loose curls in it.

Rangiku clapped her hands excitedly and exclaimed, "You look amazing! Captain's gonna have a nose bleed!"

"I don't think it'll be that drastic," Rukia said with a slight smile, "but you do look really beautiful Yuna. Captain Hitsugaya will think so too."

"The color matches with his eyes," Orihime said, placing in the last pin into Rukia's hair. "You look really nice Yuna."

"Thanks," Yuna replied, smiling. She went up to the mirror and looked at herself. She realized how much her body toned up in the past few months with all of the training she'd been going through. Not only was it changing her soul form, but it affected her human body as well. She looked over at Rukia who stood beside her to inspect herself in the mirror. The raven haired girl was dressed in a dark purple, thin strapped dress that went down to her knees. Her hair was pulled up with a few loose strands to frame her face. "I bet Ichigo will be the first to have a nose bleed," she replied, "after seeing Rukia."

"Shut up…" Rukia grumbled, although her cheeks turned slightly pink.

"Okay, okay," Orihime said. "Yuna, get over here so I can get your hair done. You do have a lot of it."

Yuna smiled and went over to where Orihime had several small hair rollers all heated up and ready to be placed in her hair.

**.:x:.**

"Never expected you to be going, Toushirou," Ichigo said.

"Shut up," the said Shinigami captain replied, "and it's Captain Hitsugaya to you."

"Whatever…"

Toushirou huffed and adjusted the neck of the black turtleneck he was wearing, along with a pair of dark blue dress pants and black shoes. "When are the others getting here?"

"Rangiku said that she and the girls will be here before seven, and Ishida and Chad should be here at any moment," Renji said, fixing the collar of the black dress shirt he had, the first two buttons undone.

Toushirou nodded just as the doorbell rang and a few moments later, Ishida and Chad knocked and entered Ichigo's bedroom. Ishida was dressed in a white top with blue pants and Chad had on a dark purple top with the first three buttons undone and black pants. Both of them nodded to Toushirou with respect for his title, who returned the nod, before looking at Ichigo. "Never expected to see you all done up nice, Kurosaki," Ishida said with a smirk.

"Shut up Quincy…" Ichigo snapped. The orange haired Shinigami was wearing a white dress shirt with black pants and shoes.

Toushirou rolled his eyes and then looked at the clock on Ichigo's desk. "Better start heading down," he told them. "I'm going to make a quick report to the Captain-Commander and then I'll join you."

"Alright," Ichigo said, standing up and heading out the door.

Once they left, Toushirou let out a sigh and dropped himself onto the edge of the bed. He took out his phone and quickly made the report before snapping it shut and slipping it into his back pocket. He then pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes and let out a soft moan. He'd been anxious all day for this night, feeling that something was bound to go wrong. The fact that it was his birthday and he was turning god-knows-how-old made his emotions go out of wack. He was feeling pain because Momo wasn't there, again, tension because this was the first one he was going to have while in a serious relationship with someone he really loved, nervousness because he didn't know what to expect but also some excitement. He sighed and lowered his hands to his lap and stared at them. "A lot's changed…" he said softly, "since that night on the rooftop…"

He heard the doorbell ring and knew that the girls had arrived, but he didn't stand up just yet. "Momo… I'm happy now, like you always wanted, but it doesn't mean I won't forget you… you'll always be my sister, no matter what…"

"OI! TOUSHIROU! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!" Ichigo hollered from downstairs.

"Shut up, I'm coming!" Toushirou yelled, standing up and opening the door. As he went down the stairs, he said, "And how many times do I have to tell you, Kurosaki? It's Captain Hitsu-"

He lost all thought when he saw Yuna, except for one thing that crossed his mind through the faint buzzing. _Oh, wow…_ Inside on him, he heard Hyourinmaru hum in approval.

The dress Yuna wore made her look incredible and her long golden hair fell down her back in light curls. Her skin seemed to glow in the light and her eyes sparkled as she looked at him. A smile turned her lips up, making her seem even more radiant than before. Toushirou had always seen her as beautiful before, but this was far beyond that. For the first time in his life, as far as he knew, Toushirou Hitsugaya was rendered speechless and lost of all train of thought.

Everyone could see the look in the prodigy captain's eyes and face, since his demeanor had slipped just slightly and they all smiled, but didn't say anything. Yuna smiled even more and walked up to Toushirou and rested a hand against the side of his face. The heels she wore made her eyelevel with the Shinigami captain and she gave him a light kiss on the lips. "Happy Birthday, Toushirou," she said softly when she pulled away, her lips inches from his.

Toushirou didn't stop the small smile that turned up his mouth. "You look beautiful… more so than usual," he said quietly.

Yuna looked at him in the eyes and said, "You look very nice too, Toushirou." She then took his hand and said, "Come on, we don't want to be late."

**.:x:.**

There were already a few people there when they arrived. Yuna was immediately tackled by Rinoa, who exclaimed that Yuna looked gorgeous. Her best friend was dressed in a chocolate brown, thin strapped, three-quarter length dress with her dark hair done in curls and waves. Rinoa then looked at Toushirou and her eyes widened. "Is _that_ Toushirou Hitsugaya?!" she asked Yuna softly as the blonde's group began to make their way towards the table that had been reserved for them.

"Yeah," Yuna said. "What other white-haired shorty do you know?" She sensed annoyance spike from Toushirou, and she knew that he heard her. _I'm gonna get an earful…_

"Oh wow, he's well… umm… don't mind me saying it, but… drop dead gorgeous…"

Yuna looked over to where Toushirou was sitting at their table, leaning back in his chair with an elbow propped on the back of it, trying to shoo off Rangiku who was fluttering about him excitedly. It was Renji who finally pulled the busty strawberry blonde away, but Yuna just admired Toushirou. Rinoa was right; in that black turtleneck, Toushirou did look really 'drop dead gorgeous'. His white hair stood out, as well as the bright cerulean of his eyes. He looked a hell of a lot older as well. Yuna had been in shock when she'd seen him come down the stairs at Ichigo's. She was definitely with one of the best looking men tonight and she couldn't help but feel giddy knowing that he only had eyes for her.

Toushirou's eyes flickered over to her and one corner of his lips turned up in that familiar smirk that he only gave to her, only it looked hell of a lot sexier tonight. Yuna returned the smile and looked back at Rinoa. "Tell me about it…" she said, her voice almost breathless.

"He's really good looking," Rinoa said, "if you look past that scowl he always has. And you're happy?"

"Yeah, I am," Yuna said, nodding.

"Then I'm happy for you too. You got lucky to find one who's both good looking and treats you good." Rinoa gave Yuna a quick hug and said, "Now I have to hunt down my date. See you later on?"

"Definitely," Yuna said, "and don't be shy about stopping by at our table. They aren't as crazy as they look…" Just at that moment, Rukia punched Ichigo in the chest, sending the substitute Shinigami to the floor, in which Rukia stood and planted a foot on his head, pressing down hard. Yuna sighed wearily and said, "Forget that I said that…"

Rinoa laughed softly and said, "Well, at least they all care about you. See you later, then… and I think she's gonna kill Ichigo…" The dark haired girl looked around Yuna to where Rukia was still having Ichigo eat the floor.

"He probably deserves it…" Yuna muttered, but smiled at Rinoa before turning and heading over to the table. She stopped beside where Toushirou sat and looked at Rukia, her eyebrows raised. "What did he do?"

"He was just being himself, as usual," Renji said as Rukia stepped back and plopped down into her seat.

"Oh, okay then," Yuna said, shrugging.

Ichigo looked up over the table at her and blinked. "Thanks for caring, Yuna…" he grumbled.

"I do care; I just have my own way of showing it," she replied. She then let out a small gasp when someone's arms snaked around her waist and pulled her into their lap. She smiled down at Toushirou who rested his chin onto her shoulder, his eyes closed. His arms tightened around her and she could feel his heart beating against her back. She could sense contentment and peacefulness emitting from him so strongly that it calmed her as well. She couldn't help but feel happy for him; if this was how he was feeling, then he must be enjoying himself.

They all sat there and didn't talk about what was going on what with Aizen and possibly another Winter War. They talked about anything else, like incidents in Soul Society or about the first time Ichigo realized that the Yoruichi the black cat, who helped them into Soul Society to save Rukia, turned out to be Yoruichi the woman and how Ichigo's initial reaction to _that _was. Rangiku talked about a few incidents that she had after a night of drinking, which Toushirou bluntly added about the one time he walked into his office to find her, Shuuhei Hisagi and Izuru Kira passed out in their underwear and Rangiku complaining about her breasts crushing her chest. Yuna cracked up at this and Rangiku muttered something about getting a drink before running off with her face as red as Renji's hair.

"Yuna, Yuna!"

Yuna looked around to see Rinoa hurrying towards her. Her best friend stopped in front of her and gave a wave to the others and said a 'hey' to Toushirou before taking Yuna's hand. "Toushirou," she asked, "you don't mind if I steal Yuna from you for a little bit, do you? I wanna take to the dance floor."

Yuna looked around at Toushirou and asked, "Well?"

Toushirou shrugged and said, "Fine by me, but don't cause trouble."

"Hey, this is me you're talking to…"

"I know," he replied, giving her his smirk before kissing her cheek. He then brushed his lips over to her ear and whisper. "Go have fun with your friend… you haven't spent time with her in a while with everything that's going on… and besides, I'll have plenty of time with you later."

Yuna smiled, but she felt something back-flip in her stomach at the way he said the last part. She turned her head, planted a quick kiss on his lips, before launching herself off of him, kicking her shoes off so she was barefoot and grabbed Rinoa's hand. "Let's go," she said and the two of them went out onto the dance floor.

They picked a spot where Yuna still had a view of her table and where she knew Toushirou could see her. She allowed the music to sweep over her and take over her body.

**.:x:.**

Toushirou watched Yuna dance for a while with her friend. The girl's long blonde hair swirled around her shoulders as she allowed the music to move her body. Her eyes were closed and her face was in complete calm. The way the dim lights played off of her skin made her look incredible.

He was nudged out of his reverie by Ichigo tapping his shoulder with a red plastic cup of soda. "Here, Toushirou," he said, "got you a drink. Hope you like cola."

Toushirou shot Ichigo a glare for using his first name, but instead muttered, "Thanks," as he accepted the cup. He took a sip and wrinkled his nose slightly at the fizz, turning his attention back to Yuna.

"She's one heck of a girl," Ichigo said, sitting in a chair backwards next to Toushirou, holding his own cup.

"Yeah," Toushirou agreed, nodding.

"She is definitely the right girl for you."

Toushirou shot Ichigo a look at the tone of his voice. "What do you mean by that?"

"She's bundles of fun and you're no fun at all," Ichigo replied with a grin. "She completes you."

"Don't make me ice you…"

"Hey, I've been wondering…" Ichigo said, obviously ignoring the threat. His face then turned serious as he looked at Toushirou. "What are you two going to do when you have to head back?"

The white haired Shinigami frowned and said, "I haven't thought that far ahead yet… I really don't know. It is sometimes frowned upon for a Shinigami to fall in love with a human…"

"Well, she's not exactly human, not anymore," Ichigo pointed out, gesturing to her slightly with his cup. "She's a Shinigami, who obtained _shikai_ for that matter and could possibly obtain _bankai_ pretty soon as well. She's a captain-class Shinigami…"

"But she's still human," Toushirou said, cutting him off. "She's not officially dead, and that's what counts. I don't even know if the Captain-Commander will allow me to continue to see her after I return, will probably say that it will get in the way of my captain duties. And there's another thing… if I end up coming back for another mission, I will probably find Yuna pushing her fifties, if she isn't an old woman… and I'll look about the same as I am now…"

"Well, you better think of something soon," Ichigo said, this time cutting the captain off. "The big battle's coming up and then before you know it, you'll be looking at the opening gates of _Senkaimon_ and you'll either be saying, 'see you later' or 'good-bye forever' to Yuna. You have to come up with something and act quickly. Don't listen to what others say, like the old man, or your mind telling you about your 'duties as a captain' and all that crap. Listen to your heart, and I know that sounds really corny, but it works every time. Trust me, I know…" With that, Ichigo stood and decided to rag out on Ishida for entertainment, leaving Toushirou to his thoughts.

_How is it that that idiot says the most intelligent and wise things that leave me thinking…?_ Toushirou mused to himself, before really dwelling on what the substitute Shinigami said. He knew that if he left Yuna for good, he would be leaving a part of his soul behind and neither of them would ever feel the same. He would hurt her as well as himself. But if he kept it going, then every time he had the free time to return to the real world and see her, he would just see a women growing older and older while he stayed young because time aged them differently. _What am I going to do…?_

"Umm… Toushirou… well, umm… Captain Hitsugaya, I mean…?"

"What?" Toushirou asked, shaking free from his thoughts. He looked up to see Orihime looking down at him.

"Well, I was wondering if you thought about dancing with Yuna?" she asked him. "I mean, you should and she is coming back because Rinoa is dancing with her date now…"

Toushirou blinked, just then realizing that the music had slowed and that couples were making their way onto the dance floor. As Orihime spoke to him, Rangiku was being led onto the floor by Renji and Rukia was dragging Ichigo onto the floor. He looked over to where Yuna had been dancing and could see that she was making her way over to the concession table to get a drink. He looked up at Orihime, who smiled and then said, "It's just for one night, not to worry about everything that's going on, to just be… well… human."

He looked at Orihime for a while longer before nodding. He knew that he wouldn't hear the end of it from Rangiku, but right now, he really didn't care. _To be human again… haven't done that in a while._ He stood up and made his way over to where Yuna was getting her drink. He came up behind her silently and, wrapping one arm around her waist, he brushed her hair to the side, revealing the phoenix, who he realized was Shirohouou, on her shoulder. He brushed his lips against it and felt her shudder. "Dance with me, Phoenix?" he asked her softly.

Yuna turned around to look at him and she nodded. He took her by the hand and led her onto the dance floor. He then turned to face her and pulled her close to him, resting his hands on her waist. Her arms wrapped around his neck and they began to rotate slowly on the spot. From the corner of his eye, he could see his lieutenant beaming at them.

"You were bothered by something earlier," Yuna said, looking up at him. "What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing…" he replied and then thought. _Hell with thinking and worrying about all that now. When the time comes, I will know what to do, so for now, I'm not going to add it to my list of worries._ He smiled at Yuna and said, "Nothing that I needed to worry about. I was just thinking."

Yuna nodded and he lowered his head the short distance to her to give her a brief kiss before pulling her against him, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. He pressed his face into her neck as her arms tightened around his neck and her head rested against his shoulder. He was careful not to tread on her bare toes, but other than that, he just basked in the moment that was now.


	22. Chapter 21: Dearly Beloved

**Okay, here's a warning: this chapter contains a lemon, which is why this story is rated M. So you have been warned, and if I get griped about me not warning you, then you are stupid for not reading the bold print before the chapter...**

Chapter Twenty-One: Dearly Beloved

The dance ended at ten and after the last song, everyone headed home. Toushirou walked Yuna home as the others either headed back to Ichigo's or Orihime's. Soon it was only the two of them walking alone, Toushirou's arm around her shoulders while hers was around his waist. The street was dark, broken by to occasional street light, and it was quiet. As they were coming closer to the river, the air becoming chillier the closer to the water they got, they heard the roar of a Hollow seconds before Toushirou's phone went off.

Yuna sighed as Toushirou flipped open the phone to look at the screen and said, "Just when I thought we were going to make it through a perfect night…"

"Look out!" Toushirou suddenly yelled, throwing himself at Yuna and sending the both of them down the slope, just as a huge Hollow landed where they had been standing.

Yuna groaned as she sat up, Toushirou's hands resting on her shoulders. Her eyes widened at the sight of the Hollow. "A Menos?" she gasped.

"Looks like Aizen is sending out the big guns," Toushirou said, taking out his Gikongan and popping the green pill into his mouth and swallowing it. He burst from his gigai and faced the large Hollow, unsheathing Hyourinmaru.

Yuna pushed herself to her feet and dug around in her jacket until she pulled out Ichigo's Shinigami badge, which she _"borrowed"_ from the orange haired Shinigami. She pressed it against her chest, forcing her soul from her body. Toushirou's gigai caught her body before it could hit the ground and Yuna looked around at him. "Take my body and get to Urahara's."

Toushirou's gigai nodded and he took off, carrying Yuna's body close to him bridal style. Yuna turned and took a stance beside Toushirou, unsheathing Shirohouou. The white haired captain looked over at her and asked, "You sure you're ready?"

"Hey, I killed an Arrancar that was torturing you and carted your ass halfway through Las Noches. I think I can handle this guy."

Toushirou chuckled and the two of them took fighting stances as the Hollow roared at the sight of two Shinigami. It raised its fist and swung down at them. They jumped in separate directions, avoiding the attack. Yuna landed a few feet away, skidding back slightly. She straightened and held her Zanpakutoh out, her reiatsu rising and melting the snow around her feet. "Kashou Koukouto, Shirohouou," she said as she swung her sword in a burst of blue flame, the phoenix forming overhead. Swinging her blade up, she then cried, "Shinkou Honoo!" The phoenix flew at the Hollow and blasted it with a burst of crimson flames. The Hollow roared and reared back, swiping at its face, which gave Yuna an opening. She sprang forward and slashed the Hollow right below the hole in its chest and was about to bring her sword up to deal the finishing blow when it swung a fist at her. Yuna jumped away, using the spirit particles in the sky to dodge the attack.

"Look out!" Toushirou cried and Yuna glanced around just in time to see the Hollow's thick tail coming at her before it struck her in the chest. Yuna didn't have time to scream as the blow knocked the wind out of her, feeling as if her chest had been crushed, and sent her flying into the air. She hit something hard before icy coldness and darkness took her over.

**.:x:.**

Toushirou watched in horror as Yuna was struck by the Hollow and was thrown into the river, her body crashing through the thin layer of ice into the dark waters. "YUNA!" he yelled as he felt her reiatsu disappear. _No, she can't be… Hyourinmaru! Can you feel her or Shirohouou?!_

"_I… can't…"_

"NO!" Toushirou roared, his reiatsu flaring as he turned to face the Hollow. "_**BANKAI!**_"

Ice formed around his shoulders and created wings and a long tail on his back. Hyourinmaru's head and neck formed on his sword arm while an arm guard that resembled the dragon's claw formed on his left. Snow swirled around him as he spread the wings of ice wide, his eyes glowing brightly. The three, four petaled flowers appeared above him between the wings. "Daiguren Hyourinmaru (Great Red Ice Ring)," he whispered fiercely. He then lunged forward with an angry yell, swinging his Zanpakutoh at the Hollow.

The monster roared and dodged his attack. He cursed as he turned around, standing in the air. "Bastard…" he said softly, his voice cold. Then from the corner of his eye, he saw the tail that took out Yuna come at him. He made to move away but the tip glanced off of the side of his head. He skidded back, feeling blood trickling between his eyes. "Damn it… what's up with this Hollow? It's more powerful than a normal one…" He rose up his sword when it lunged at him in an attack, its claws slamming against the edge of his blade. He pushed the Hollow back and shunpoed a safe distance away.

A thought suddenly struck him. Matsumoto and the others would have arrived by now once they sensed the Hollow, him in his _bankai _form and Yuna's reiatsu gone… _no, I can't think of that! She's not gone…_ He held his sword in front of him, pointing it at the Hollow and said, "Ryuusenka (Dragon Hail Blossom)." A ring of minuscule shards of ice formed around his blade before blasting at the Hollow. The Hollow roared and opened its mouth wide, a red and black orb forming and blasting from his gaping maw. Toushirou cursed again and dodged the cero attack, which took out his Ryuusenka attack. He faced the Hollow again, panting slightly. He couldn't do this, not on his own. This Hollow was almost as powerful as an Arrancar, even though it wasn't as intelligent.

Suddenly, there was an explosion from the river and a geyser of water shot up from the surface. His eyes widened as Yuna appeared from the water, her reiatsu creating a blast of warm wind that past through him and evaporating the water that brought her up, turning it into steam. She disappeared for a moment only to reappear behind the Hollow and slashing it across the back of its head. "That hurt, you bastard," she said, her eyes flashing. She then sprang back and raised her sword, Shirohouou forming behind her in a burse of blue and white flame. "Together Toushirou," she called out.

Toushirou shook out of his shock of seeing her alive and brought his sword up again, pointing it at the Hollow that was between the two of them. He summoned up all of his spirit energy to put behind his final attack, hoping that this would do the Hollow in.

"Ryuusenka!"

"Shinkou Honoo!"

The two attacks, one fire, one ice, struck the Hollow at the same time. The creature let out one last bellow before dissolving into the black miasma, indicating that it had been purified.

Toushirou landed on the ground gently, still in _bankai_ form and watched as Yuna landed in front of him a little more heavily than he. She crouched slightly before straightening and looking at him. She frowned and reached up to touch the cut in his hair that was leaking blood down his face. "You're hurt…" she muttered. He then felt her spirit energy rise as she muttered, "Houou Bankoku." As he watched, tears welled up and fell from her eyes as a tingling feeling spread across the cut and he could feel it heal. When it was fully healed, she pulled her fingers away and the tears ceased to fall. He brought a hand up and felt his scalp where the injury had been moments before, finding unblemished skin. The only sign that he'd been injured at all was the blood that was still on his face.

"Jeez, Toushirou," Yuna said, placing her hands on her hips and looking at him, head tilted slightly. "I was only out of battle for like what, ten minutes, and you managed to get yourself hurt in…"

Toushirou cut her off by dropping his sword so he could pull Yuna to him. He crushed his lips against hers in a bruising kiss, lifting her up slightly. He held her tightly as his _bankai_ form dissolved, becoming part of the snow that surrounded their feet. He pulled away finally after he found that he needed to breath and looked deep into her eyes. "Damn it, Yuna," he said softly, "I thought I lost you."

"Aw come on," Yuna exclaimed. "You can't really think that a blow like that could take me out, did ya?" She then saw the serious fear he had in his eyes and her smile softened. "I'm alright, really. I'm sorry I worried you…"

"'Worried'… you scared me almost to death. If you died, I don't know what I would do."

"Well, I'm okay, now," she said, cupping his face with her hands.

He nodded and let out a sigh. He gently set her back to the ground before bending down and picking up his Zanpakutoh. "Come on," he said, sheathing his sword. "Let's get to your place."

"What about our bodies?"

"They can stay at Urahara's… we'll get them tomorrow. Let's just get you home."

**.:x:.**

Toushirou stepped in through Yuna's window and moved aside so the blonde woman could come in behind him. The moment her feet touched the floor soundlessly, he spun around fully and pushed her against the wall beside the window, capturing her lips with his again. The mere thought of how he almost lost her drove him to want this more than ever. He battled the blonde Shinigami in his arms for supremacy, their tongues pushing and caressing each others as if this was the last kiss they'd ever share. The two of them were treading into uncharted waters for the both of them, but if it was with Yuna, Toushirou would do anything. He wrapped one arm around her waist, another around her hip as he lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms tightening around his neck as she pushed herself closer to him, refusing to break the connection between them.

Everyone in the house was in deep sleep, and the walls were sound proof to block all sounds of yelling children during the day. In Yuna's bedroom, it was like they were completely alone, just the two of them.

Their reiatsus were rising, Toushirou's icy one clashing with Yuna's fiery one, but at the same time pulsing together in perfect harmony. They could feel each others hearts beating against one another's through their_shihakshous_ from their bodies being so close and Toushirou realized that this seemed so much more real than the times he kissed Yuna like this in his gigai. He felt closer to her, more connected, than ever before.

Yuna reached up and pulled her hair free from its up-do, the blonde locks tumbling down her shoulders with the thin braids falling free down along with it, breaking up the smooth straight locks into sections. Her soft hair shaded him like a curtain, a few strands becoming caught in his own hair and her scent seemed to increase drastically. She then used both of her hands to push off his haori, leaving him only in his black kimono. He broke free from their kiss to catch his breath and to move them over to the bed. He laid her gently down on top of the thick soft coverlet before lying over her.

Dainty hands gently cupped Toushirou's cheeks in them as Yuna gave him one of her soft smiles that brought a pleasant warmth through his entire body. She slowly brought his face down to hers to place gentle and loving kisses onto his lips. Her hands slowly moved down to the obi around his waist and she untied it before bringing her hands back up. He let out a soft moan as her hands slid into the top of his _shihakshou_, brushing against his toned chest. As she deepened their kiss, she pushed open his top and slid it off of his shoulders before removing it completely, dropping it over the edge of the bed. She broke their kiss and Toushirou opened his eyes to find Yuna looking over his body, her fingers tracing old scars that marred his chest and shoulders. The feel of her fingers stroking his skin made him want to close his eyes, but he held them open, watching the girl below him. Her eyes moved up to his face, violet eyes brimming with lust and love for him locking with his own cerulean ones. She smiled and he knew that she could read the love he had for her in his eyes. He returned her smile with one of his own before lowering his head down to her neck, leaving a trail of butterfly kisses down it.

As he moved slowly down her neck, he began to open the top of her _shihakshou_ the same way she removed his. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he lifted her upper body up as he removed the garment, dropping it to the floor with his own, before lowering her and himself back onto the bed, relishing in the skin to skin contact they now shared. He moved down to her breasts, which weren't large like Rangiku's but not small either; to him, they were the perfect size. He left loving kisses on them, every once in a while tasting her skin with his tongue. He slowly made his way back up to her face and then looked into her eyes. "Do you want this?" he asked her, his voice hoarse.

Yuna nodded, her face slightly flushed. "I want this," she replied.

Toushirou smiled again before he pressed his lips against hers. His hands moved down her sides and he felt her body shudder. He reached her waist band and he began to remove her lower garments, brushing his hand against her inner thigh as he did. Yuna gasped and arched her back, her chest pressing against his, her hands moving down to his waist. He removed the last of her clothing and she now laid completely open to him. He lowered his face to her neck and kissed her pulse before slowly kissing his way down to her flat and nicely toned tummy before making his way up again. She tasted as wonderful as she smelled and he found that he couldn't get enough of her.

Yuna began to remove the rest of his clothing with shaky hands and he helped her, sitting up so he could remove all. Her eyes scanned his body, darkening with lust and desire and he knew his were the same. He moved back over her, positioning himself between her legs and moving to her entrance but not entering. He kissed her neck again before looking up at her, his breathing as fast and ragged as her own. "Are you ready?"

Yuna nodded and to prove it, she reached down between them, gently took a hold of his hardened length, stroking it and bringing the tip inside of her. Toushirou let out a fierce groan at the touch, his eyes half closing as he pressed his lips hard against Yuna's, slowing pushing himself the rest of the way in. Yuna removed her hand only to place it with the other at the small of his back and he could feel her heart pounding in her chest against his own. He let out a soft moan as he felt her tightening around him and he pressed his face into her neck, breathing heavily. Yuna let out a soft cry and he hit resistance, letting him know that he reached her barrier. "I'm sorry," he murmured into her neck. He lifted his head up and looked into her eyes. "This is going to hurt the worst, but it'll get better after that."

Yuna nodded, trust apparent in her eyes and face. He began to kiss her face lightly and then, wrapping his arms around her, he pressed his lips tightly to hers as he thrust forward, sheathing himself all the way inside of her. She screamed into his mouth and he pulled away to leave soft kisses on her forehead, eyelids and lips, waiting a few moments to let her adjust. He looked into her eyes one last time before giving her a loving kiss, putting as much love and passion, if not more, as he did in that cell in Hueco Mundo. As their kiss deepened, they started to move, gently rocking together in each other's arms. Their movement was tender and soft, filled with the unspeakable love and trust they had for each other.

Yuna's legs wrapped around his waist so more of him would fit inside of her. The pain was being erased by the pleasure she was feeling of him moving inside of her. Her hands moved up to his shoulders and her nails dug into his flesh, which emitted a deep groan that came from the back of his throat. Toushirou broke their kiss and pressed his face into her neck, their breathing becoming rapid and ragged, broken by soft moans from the both of them. He could hardly form a coherent thought as he moved in her; she was so hot and tight around his member and he had to fight against himself from releasing at that moment. He was starting to get close and he knew that Yuna was as well from the reactions of her body. They started to move faster and he propped himself up with his elbows on either side of her, thrusting into her with more fervor. He lifted his face and looked into her eyes. Her face looked blissful and her eyes glowed with passion.

Toushirou's face was completely taken by ecstasy and as Yuna locked her eyes with his, she could feel the love and devotion he had for her coming from him in waves. She was so close to the breaking point and she knew that he was as well. As his bright cerulean blue eyes bore into her amethyst ones, he lowered his head for another kiss as Yuna felt herself tightening more and more, feeling as if she was about to pop. Toushirou then broke their kiss and with his lips just ghosting over hers, he whispered, "I love you, Yuna."

Those words set off the trigger inside of her and she felt the warmth spread through her entire body. All of her muscles locked and she cried out his name as the orgasm rolled through her body. Toushirou let out a primal growl followed by a deep moan, not feeling anything except the vice-like, almost painful, grip that dragged him deeper into his lover's body as he came hard inside of her. Their reiatsus seemed to explode and they rode out the waves of pleasure. Then, the last of his strength spent, Toushirou collapsed on top of Yuna, his head resting just above her breasts.

They laid there unmoving, both panting heavily as they slowly came back down to earth. After a few moments, Toushirou pulled out of her and moved beside her, pulling out the blankets from under them to cover their nude bodies. Yuna turned to her side and nuzzled her face into his chest, her arms wrapping around his waist tightly. He wrapped his own arms around her, kissing her forehead gently. "I love you, Yuna," he whispered, burying his face into her hair, his arms tightening around her. "Gods help me, I do."

"I know," Yuna replied, lifting her face up to look at him. "I love you too."

Toushirou smiled before cupping her face with his hands and kissing her gently. He then shifted himself so that he was lying on his back with her head resting on his chest. With their arms wrapped around each other, they drifted to sleep.


	23. Author Alert!

**Both _The Night and the Dawn _and _The Reiraku That Binds Us_ will be on hold for I don't know how long. I'm having laptop difficulties and will be taking it in to be hopefully fixed. There is something wrong with the connection of the charger to the lappy, and I'm guess that it's something in the lappy, because the charger is new and was working fine a month ago with it. I was able to fiddle with it enough so I could type this up and post it before it dies again. So yeah, sorry to all who are waiting for updates. I will update as soon as I possibly can.**


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